Poland to launch production of American Barracuda-500 cruise missiles
Photo: Anduril Industries

Poland will produce American Barracuda-500 cruise missiles. The strategic cooperation agreement was signed on Monday, October 27, by Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa and American Anduril, said PGZ.

The agreement is aimed at joint development and production of autonomous air systems for the Polish Armed Forces, including the Polish version of the Barracuda-500M cruise missile.

"Today's agreement paves the way for technology transfer, joint research and development, and equipment development that will strengthen the security of not only Poland but the entire eastern flank of NATO," said Adam Leszkiewicz, President of the PGZ Board of Management.

"Working with PGZ on the localized production of Barracuda missiles demonstrates how allied industry and sovereign suppliers can quickly deliver scalable and affordable solutions," added Brian Moran, Vice President of Anduril Europe.

Under the agreement, a modified version of the missile will be produced in Poland. This is not a classic Barracuda, but a jet drone that can carry a combat payload, reconnaissance or electronic warfare equipment.

Barracuda was originally designed for an air launch, but Anduril has already tested a ground launch.

Poland is not the first country to start producing these American missiles: Taiwan did it earlier.

The Barracuda-500M warhead version is a small cruise missile with a range of over 500 nautical miles (over 926 km) and a payload of over 100 pounds (approximately 45 kg). It is capable of performing maneuvers with an overload of up to 5G and has a flight time of over 120 minutes.

The production of a single Barracuda takes 50% less time, requires 95% fewer tools and 50% fewer parts than competing solutions on the market today, according to the manufacturer's website. As a result, the Barracuda family of UAVs is on average 30% cheaper than other solutions, making it affordable and cost-effective to deploy on a large scale.

According to The War Zone, the cost of a single production platform will not exceed $150,000, which is significantly less than classic cruise missiles.