Anduril Industries has unveiled its new Barracuda family of air-breathing, software-defined Autonomous Air Vehicles (AAVs), a system designed to revolutionize modern warfare by providing affordable, large-scale production capabilities.
The Barracuda family consists of three models—Barracuda-100, Barracuda-250, and Barracuda-500—each offering increased size, range, and payload capacity to address evolving threats on the battlefield.
Barracuda is designed to address a growing gap in the availability of precision-guided munitions (PGMs) for the U.S. and allied forces. With inventories of existing missiles potentially depleted in a matter of days during a high-end conflict, Anduril’s Barracuda offers a solution with its high production scalability and flexibility. Existing cruise missiles are plagued by limited production capacities and an inability to adapt to changing mission needs. The Barracuda family aims to change this by introducing a modular, upgradeable design, allowing rapid adjustments to meet evolving threats.
Barracuda AAVs are designed for mass production, with each variant requiring fewer tools and specialized labor compared to existing solutions. This simplicity makes the Barracuda 30% cheaper and 50% faster to produce, ensuring that militaries can scale up production as needed.
Anduril’s emphasis on commercially derived, widely available components also enhances supply chain resiliency, allowing for rapid adaptation to new challenges.
Barracuda-100, Barracuda-250, and Barracuda-500 provide theater commanders with a flexible range of options, with payload capacities reaching over 100 pounds and ranges of more than 500 nautical miles. The Barracuda family is compatible with a wide range of platforms, including fifth-generation fighter jets, surface vessels, and airlift aircraft, enabling flexible deployment in air-to-air and surface-launch roles.
Autonomous and Software-Defined Performance
The Barracuda family is powered by Anduril’s Lattice for Mission Autonomy software, allowing for autonomous and collaborative behaviors that are critical in contested environments. As a software-defined system, Barracuda’s capabilities can be continuously updated to meet new operational demands, providing warfighters with cutting-edge technology that adapts as threats evolve.
The Barracuda-M configuration, designed as a cruise missile alternative, provides a more affordable and scalable option for long-range strikes. The turbojet-powered AAVs can be configured for various missions, including direct and stand-off strikes, and offer high-speed, high-maneuverability, and extended loitering time.
Designed for flexibility, affordability, and scalability, Barracuda is set to redefine how modern militaries approach air and missile defense in the 21st century.
