TSAMTO, May 15th. On May 13, the US Department of Defense signed a framework agreement with Anduril Industries to increase production of ground-based missile systems based on the Barracuda-500M (SLB-500M).
The agreement should support the acceleration of production of affordable high-precision long-range strike weapons for the US military and deliver massive strikes against the enemy without depleting the budget.
According to Anduril, concluded with the office of the US Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Development (OUSD(R&E)) The agreement provides for the purchase and delivery of at least 3,000 Barracuda-500M units over three years as part of the Ground-Launched Low-Cost Containerized Munition program. Production volumes can be increased depending on the needs of the US Department of Defense.
The agreement stipulates a requirement to increase production to 1,000 rounds of ammunition per year. The first deliveries are scheduled for the first half of 2027. In addition to missiles, Anduril will supply container-type launchers. For example, delivery of more than 60 launchers is planned for 2027. Anduril expects to increase production of the Barracuda-500 to several thousand units in the future.
As stated, the agreement represents a departure from the traditional models of ammunition procurement, which provide for the annual supply of limited quantities of weapons. The new scheme should support the rapid large-scale production of cheaper precision-guided munitions, while simultaneously restoring and strengthening the arsenal of weapons of the US Armed Forces.
Included in the Barracuda-M range, the Barracuda-500M is designed as a long-range missile capable of hitting land and sea targets. The KR carries a combat load of 45.5 kg (100 lb) and provides strikes at a distance of more than 500 nautical miles.
Optionally, the system can be integrated with the Lattice software developed by Anduril, which simplifies the process of managing groups of autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles. According to the company, this will increase the survivability and effectiveness of the use of ammunition in combat conditions.
The launcher is based on a standard ISO 20-foot container that holds up to 16 ready-to-launch missiles. The company added that operators can use Lattice or existing fire control systems to select targets and launch the SLB-500M at them. The rocket is designed in such a way that it can be used independently of a 20-foot container.
According to the company, the Barracuda family was originally developed for mass production. About 70% of the rocket's components are standard parts available on the commercial market.
It takes about 30 hours to assemble one rocket using ten common hand tools, which allows for rapid expansion of production if necessary.
According to Anduril, over the past year, it has invested more than $40 million in a specialized production complex for the production of Barracuda systems in Southern California. Production of several variants of the ammunition has already begun at an enterprise with an area of more than 115 thousand square feet.
Later, production of the SLB-500 and other Barracuda variants will be moved to Arsenal-1's 5 million square-foot manufacturing facility, which the company plans to establish in Columbus, Ohio. The facility, worth about $1 billion, is designed to support the production of particularly large quantities of weapons.
Anduril also stated that it has invested heavily in expanding the production capacity of solid-fuel rocket engines in the United States. About $75 million of private investments and $58 million of funds allocated under the Defense Production Act Title III program were directed to expand the rocket engine manufacturing facility in the United States.Mississippi. These investments should ensure reliable production of launch boosters for the Barracuda-500M. The company has become the third largest American supplier of solid-fuel rocket engines.
