Anduril reveals surface-launch programme for Barracuda-500

Anduril has conducted a successful test of a new surface-launched configuration of the Barracuda-500 missile, according to a September 23 article published on the company’s website. The test, which took place at an Anduril test range earlier this year, demonstrated the viability of the Barracuda missile, its launcher, and its booster for surface-launched operations. 

The company is developing a range of autonomous air vehicles and cruise missiles to address a perceived need for a higher volume of more producible, intelligent, flexible, and affordable weapons, the article explains, adding that, “the test is part of a broader, ongoing, internally-funded effort to mature the surface-launched Barracuda capability, before ultimately productizing and offering it to the Services.”

The surface-launched Barracuda-500 required minimal changes to the original platform. A solid rocket motor-powered booster was attached to the tail of the missile. Anduril states that the rocket motor could be produced by US or allied suppliers. The Göktan guided munition from Aselsan appears to follow a similar approach, mating the company’s Tolun air-to-ground munition to a rocket booster provided by DeltaV so that it can be surface-launched. The Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb from Saab and Boeing is also similar in concept, pairing the 250 lb Small Diameter Bomb with a launch module that is compatible with the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) Family of Munitions (MFOM). It enables a cheaper and widely available munition to be used in a surface-to-surface role. 

Returning to the Barracuda-500, Anduril states that its variants share over 90% of their parts, allowing them to be produced on the same production lines. The goal is to be able to produce thousands of Barracuda-500s per year by the end of next year, presumably using the Arsenal-1 hyperscale factory that is being built in Ohio.

The launch system for the surface-launched Barracuda-500 is being designed for integration with existing infrastructure, such as HIMARS, Harpoon, and Patriot systems, and can also be fielded in commercial shipping containers. The company intends for the system to provide an additional option for long-range precision fires for the US and its allies.

The US Army is already fielding a range of long-range precision strike weapons, including the Typhon and Dark Eagle, that arm the Multi-Domain Task Forces. The Typhon enables the units to launch SM-6 and Tomahawk missiles in a surface-to-surface role out to 450 km and 2,000 km, respectively. The Dark Eagle is still in development and intended to provide a hypersonic strike capability out to 2,700 km. They are complemented by the M142 HIMARS and MLRS with the MFOM, which includes the upcoming Precision Strike Missile (PrSM). Lockheed is expected to produce up to 400 of the PrSM per year under current procurement and funding plans. 

Successful test of a prototype surface-launched Barracuda-500.

We’re investing our own resources to deliver more affordable, producible, and flexible long range precision fires to the U.S. and our allies. pic.twitter.com/nwhc5EctC0

— Anduril Industries (@anduriltech) September 23, 2025

Calibre comment

It is worth noting that other missiles have been reconfigured and launched from different platforms and vehicles. The US Army has fired a Naval Strike Missile from a converted pallet loading truck, for example. The Tomahawk land-attack missile has been integrated onto both the Typhon mid-range capability launcher and the USMC has integrated the missile onto an uncrewed JLTV. The MLRS family of missiles is designed to be deployed from a common launch capability, allowing it to be integrated onto a range of platforms, including another variant of the ROGUE JLTV. Other missiles, like SM-6, have been integrated into ISO-containers and test-fired, exploring the ability to add them to ships without vertical launch systems. So, integrating missiles onto different launch platforms, as is Anduril’s stated intent with Barracuda, is perhaps an expected requirement, rather than something entirely novel. 

The company’s focus on production scale and supply chain commonality is an important element of the Barracuda’s value proposition. The US has at least 3,992 Block IV Tomahawks, which are set to be recertified to the Block V standard, according to a 2019 budget justification. Additional production contracts have been placed since, but output for complex missiles remains relatively slow. Tomahawk production is thought to have reached around 250 missiles between late-2023 and late-2024. For context, US forces in the Middle East launched 135 Tomahawks against Houthi targets in Yemen, and another 30 against Iranian nuclear sites between 2024 and 2025. Some 59 missiles were used in the strikes against Syria’s Shayrat Air Base in 2018 in response to a chemical weapons attack, and more than 800 Tomahawks were used in the opening of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, according to CSIS. These strikes were conducted in what would be called “permissive environments.” I.e., the targets had a limited ability to shoot the missiles down. The same would not be true of China or Russia, and both countries would have a far larger set of targets to be engaged, requiring a sustained campaign of precision strikes in the event of a war. So, with all of that in mind, a production approach that is designed to be scalable and draw on different elements of an industrial base is a sound proposal. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on September 24, 2025. Credit for the lead image is Anduril.