New concepts of warfighting lead to new solutions, and there are a lot of firsts being shown off lately. These solutions could include the Barracuda missile.
For the first time, both a commercial and the weapon itself are being featured. Anduril Industries has introduced the Barracuda-M family of cruise missiles through an anime-style video. As usual, Anduril does things differently.
In the video, set to a remix of the 1977 Heart classic “Barracuda,” the production process at Anduril is showcased.
The video begins with a headline about America’s need for more missiles to deter China, prompting the factory to mass produce the Barracuda-100, Barracuda-250, and Barracuda-500.
The video concludes with a stylized Barracuda graphic, showing a lone Barracuda-250 followed by a swarm of 250s.
Point phone camera here
In reality, the Barracuda variants have garnered significant attention.
Introduced in early September, Anduril emphasizes their simplicity and affordability, claiming these missiles are the most producible on the market. They reportedly take 50% less time to manufacture, require 95% fewer tools, and consist of 50% fewer parts, all at a reduced cost. Notably, a Barracuda can be assembled with 10 or fewer tools.
The Barracuda variants are as follows:
- The Barracuda-100 is designed for quick, short missions, and is lightweight and launchable from both ground and air.
- The Barracuda-250 offers a balance of range, speed, and payload capacity, and can fit in the weapons bay of fighter jets.
- The Barracuda-500, the largest variant, has a range of nearly 600 miles, can carry over 100 pounds of payload, withstands 5 Gs of maneuverability, and provides more than 120 minutes of loitering time.
Although there is no official government buyer yet, Anduril is planning to build a new factory to produce weapons and military systems more quickly and in larger quantities.
Access the full Weapons and Warfare episode here.
Access all Weapons and Warfare podcast episodes here.
Ryan Robertson
TIME NOW FOR OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK, A PLACE WHERE WE USUALLY FEATURE SOME OF THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AND HARDWARE IN THE WORLD. A PLACE WHERE WE’VE FEATURED NEW CONCEPTS IN WARFIGHTING, AND RECENTLY, SOMETHING CALLED OPERATION HARD KILL IN WESTERN NEW YORK STATE.
BUT NEVER BEFORE HAVE WE FEATURED THE COMMERCIAL FOR THE WEAPON, ALONG WITH THE WEAPON ITSELF.
BUT, AS WITH MOST THINGS ANDURIL DOES, THIS IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
THAT’S RIGHT, THEY’VE GONE FULL-ON ANIME TO INTRODUCE THE BARRACUDA-M FAMILY OF CRUISE MISSISLES.
SET TO A RE-MIX OF THE 1977 HEART CLASSIC, BARRACUDA, NOT A SHOCK, THE VIDEO QUICKLY TAKES YOU INSIDE THE WORLD OF ANDURIL BEING CREATED, AT LEAST IN PART, BY CO-FOUNDER PALMER LUCKY.
AFTER READING A HEADLINE DETAILING AMERICA’S NEED FOR MORE MISSILES TO DETER CHINA, THE FACTORY SWINGS INTO ACTION. MASS PRODUCING THE BARRACUDA-100, BARRACUDA-250, AND BARRACUDA-500.
JUMP TO THE CLOSE, AND WE SEE A STYLIZED BARRACUDA GRAPHIC AS A LONE 250 FLYS THRU THE FRAME, ONLY TO BE FOLLOWED SECONDS LATER BY A SWARM OF 250s.
BACK IN THE REAL WORLD, THE BARRACUDAS ARE MAKING REAL HEADLINES.
INTRODUCED IN EARLY SEPTEMBER, ANDURIL IS TOUTING THEIR SIMPLICITY AND AFFORDABILITY WITH CLAIMS THE BARRACUDAS ARE THE MOST PRODUCIBLE CRUISE MISSILE ON THE MARKET TODAY, TAKING 50 PERCENT LESS TIME TO MAKE, WITH 95 PERCENT FEWER TOOLS AND 50 PERCENT FEWER PARTS. ALL AT A FRACTION OF THE COST. AMONG THE MOST EYE-CATCHING CLAIMS IS THAT A BARRACUDA CAN BE ASSEMBLED WITH TEN OR FEWER TOOLS.
SO HERE’S THE BREAKDOWN ON EACH VARIANT.
BUILT FOR QUICK, SHORT MISSIONS, THE BARRACUDA-100 IS LIGHTWEIGHT AND LAUNCHABLE FROM THE GROUND AND AIR.
NEXT UP, THE BARRACUDA-250. THIS MID-SIZE MODEL BALANCES RANGE, SPEED, AND PAYLOAD CAPACITY AND IS CAPABLE OF FITTING IN THE WEAPONS BAY OF FIGHTER JETS. IT
FINALLY, THE BIGGEST BIG BROTHER, THE BARRACUDA 500, HAS A RANGE OF NEARLY 600 MILES, CAN CARRY 100+ POUNDS OF PAYLOAD CAPACITY, AND IS CAPABLE OF WITHSTANDING 5 Gs OF MANEUVERABILITY, AND OFFERS MORE THAN 120 MINUTES OF LOITERING TIME.
WHILE THERE IS NO OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT BUYER JUST YET, ANDURIL IS CONFIDENT ENOUGH THAT THEY HAVE PLANS TO BUILD A NEW FACTORY TO MAKE WEAPONS AND MILITARY SYSTEMS FASTER AND IN LARGER QUANTITIES.
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