The framework is aimed at closing a gap in affordable, mass-producible stand-off strike capability. Anduril said the United States and its allies need to complement existing high-end munitions with weapons that can be produced rapidly and in large numbers.
The agreement follows the Ground-Launched Low-Cost Containerized Munition programme, under which Anduril is set to deliver 1,000 surface-launched Barracuda-500M systems per year for three years. Together, the efforts represent a broader push by the Department of War and Anduril to expand U.S. munition inventories through a new procurement model focused on scale, affordability and rapid production.
Anduril said the approach aligns with the Department’s focus on strengthening the United States’ Arsenal of Freedom. By establishing framework agreements for multiple Barracuda-500 variants, the Department is also seeking to draw more capacity from the non-traditional defence industrial base.
The Barracuda-500 work is tied to the U.S. Air Force’s Family of Affordable Mass Missiles programme, known as FAMM. The programme is intended to build large volumes of modular, affordable and producible long-range strike weapons that can help U.S. and allied forces overwhelm adversary defences and sustain high-intensity conflict.
FAMM includes variants designed for different launch methods. FAMM-P covers palletised munitions launched from airlift aircraft, while FAMM-L covers lug-launched munitions carried by fighter aircraft.
Anduril is already under contract to develop, test and deliver Barracuda-500 for both FAMM-P and FAMM-L. The company completed the first successful flight test of the pallet-launched Barracuda-500M in September 2024 and said it has since conducted dozens of additional tests.
Those tests have validated the system’s maturity, performance and modular design, according to Anduril. The company said they included networked collaborative autonomy flights, terminal engagements and payload performance validation.
Anduril joined the FAMM-L programme in February 2026. It said the first ground and flight tests for the lug-launched Barracuda-500M are planned for the next several months.
The new framework gives the Department of War a pathway to move from development and prototyping into large-scale production. Under the agreement, the Department intends to procure up to 8,000 FAMM vehicles per year across FAMM-P and FAMM-L variants and their associated vendor pools.
Anduril said the Barracuda family was designed from its first blueprints for high-rate production. The pallet-launched and lug-launched Barracuda-500 variants share more than 90% of their parts, allowing them to be produced on the same lines, by the same technicians and in the same facilities.
The company said most Barracuda components are commodity parts, while other elements are supported by open-architecture designs and multiple vendors. Anduril said it has already integrated four different turbojet engines into Barracuda-500 to reduce the risk of supply chain bottlenecks.
Over the past year, Anduril has invested more than $40 million in a dedicated Barracuda production facility of more than 115,000 square feet in Southern California. The facility opened earlier this year and has already begun producing Barracuda variants.
Later this year, Barracuda-500 production is expected to begin shifting to Arsenal-1, Anduril’s nearly $1 billion, 5 million-square-foot production facility in Pickaway County, Ohio. The company said the site is intended to expand output further and support surges in demand.
Anduril said its current facilities and investments give it the infrastructure needed to raise annual Barracuda-500 production to the high single-digit thousands by the end of this year. Production capacity is expected to continue expanding as the Arsenal-1 line is completed.
The Barracuda-500 is intended to expand U.S. stand-off strike capacity with a more affordable and flexible munition. Anduril said the system is designed to strengthen U.S. deterrence by increasing the number of strike weapons available for future operations.
