The U.S. Department of Defense has announced that it has signed a contract with Anduril Industries for the large-scale production of the Barracuda-500 standoff attack system…
The agreement covers both pallet-launched and lug-launched variants, laying the groundwork for the procurement and delivery of thousands of systems over a 7-year period.
The Barracuda-500 standoff attack system is scheduled to see its first deliveries begin in 2027.
This framework agreement aims to address a critical capacity gap in the field of cost-effective, high-volume standoff precision-strike munitions.
The deal follows the Ground-Launched Low-Cost Containerized Munition (GLLCM) program, which will see the delivery of 1,000 ground-launched Barracuda-500M systems per year for three years.
The Barracuda-500 program is being developed under the Family of Affordable Mass Missiles (FAMM) initiative, led by the U.S. Air Force.
The Barracuda-500 is a long-range standoff precision-strike munition with a modular architecture, powered by a turbojet engine and developed by Anduril Industries.
The system features a maximum operational range of over 500 nautical miles (approximately 926 kilometers) and is capable of high-subsonic flight thanks to its roughly 150 lbf-thrust class turbojet engine.
With a maximum endurance of over 120 minutes, the munition can engage targets in the terminal phase with approximately 5G maneuverability.
The system’s guidance and navigation infrastructure is built upon an inertial navigation system (INS) and a GPS-supported navigation architecture…