The United States continues to develop the cheapest missile, which should cost $150,000

The U.S. Air Force's Weapons Directorate (WD) and Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) have selected Anduril's Barracuda-500 autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) for the next phase of the Enterprise Test Vehicle (ETV) project. The aim of the programme is to develop a high-performance, modular and affordable cruise missile.

Here's What We Know

During the seven months of work under the ETV, Anduril optimised the Barracuda-500 design and conducted successful flight tests. In September 2024, the vehicle made a vertical launch from a cell simulating a launch from an aircraft, performed autonomous navigation, a thirty-minute flight, and self-targeting using GPS coordinates.

Later this year, Anduril will conduct additional tests to verify the simultaneous launch of multiple Barracuda-500s, their in-flight interaction and coordination.

The Barracuda-500 is a small cruise missile with a range of over 500 nautical miles (926 km), a payload of 45 kg, manoeuvrability of up to 5g and a flight time of over 120 minutes.

The ETV programme was launched in June 2024 and involves the use of commercial non-military grade components to reduce costs and simplify production. It is expected that the serial cost of the missile will not exceed $150,000, and the range will be close to 1,000 km. In addition, the new missile will be integrated into the combat systems of US fighter jets without the need to upgrade them.

Source: Anduril