The Barracuda-100M outperforms the Hellfire. Technical analysis of its capabilities, tactical uses, and short-term industrial challenges.
The Barracuda-100M, a tactical missile developed by Anduril Industries for the US Army, reached a new milestone with successful flight tests in May 2025. This system, intended for the HSMM (High-Speed Maneuverable Missile) program, reaches speeds of over 925 km/h and performs high-g maneuvers. It offers a range ten times greater than that of a Hellfire, while remaining within a comparable budget. Equipped with a collaborative autonomy software platform and a long-range infrared sensor, the Barracuda-100M paves the way for modular, responsive, multi-role tactical operations. Designed in less than two years, it represents a breakthrough in the acquisition time for complex weapon systems. The following article details its performance, technical specifications, tactical applications, and implications for the defense industry.
Aerodynamic performance exceeding tactical standards
In May 2025, the Barracuda-100M demonstrated its ability to combine high speed, extreme maneuverability and navigation autonomy as part of the HSMM program conducted by the U.S. Army DEVCOM Aviation & Missile Center.
A compact supersonic missile
The aircraft broke the 500 knot barrier in flight testing, reaching approximately 926 km/h, a speed that places it in the category of highly maneuverable tactical munitions. This performance enables the Barracuda-100M to drastically reduce launch-to-impact time, a critical factor in modern conflicts, particularly for neutralizing mobile or sheltered targets.
The aircraft also performs high-G maneuvers, allowing it to maintain its trajectory even in an environment saturated with countermeasures or in the terminal phase of flight against anti-aircraft systems.
An autonomous, adaptive, and responsive vector
The Barracuda-100M incorporates an embedded software system based on the Lattice for Mission Autonomy platform developed by Anduril. This module enables the missile to execute missions with complete autonomy, including tracking and attacking targets identified upstream, without human interaction once launched. The system is also capable of adopting collaborative behavior, in coordination with other vehicles or platforms, opening up prospects for use in swarming or saturation missions.
This capability reduces the cognitive load on operators while increasing the missile’s adaptability to changing scenarios. Software updates can be applied quickly to adjust navigation strategy, attack profiles, or targeting priorities.
Modular architecture and optimized cost for volume
The development of the Barracuda-100M is based on a dual logic: to produce a high-performance, autonomous missile while ensuring mass production at a cost compatible with tactical budget constraints.
A cost comparable to Hellfire for ten times the range
According to data provided by Anduril, the Barracuda-100M has a range ten times greater than that of an AGM-114 Hellfire, i.e. approximately 80 to 100 kilometers, compared to 8 to 10 kilometers for the standard American missile. This increased range makes it possible to target deep installations in enemy territory or to strike from a secure position, out of reach of frontal air defenses.
All this is achieved at a unit cost similar to that of a Hellfire, estimated at between $90,000 and $110,000, depending on the production batch. This feature makes it particularly suitable for mass deployment, unlike more expensive cruise missiles such as the JASSM (at over $700,000 per unit).
A modular design adaptable to different missions
The missile has been designed with a modular architecture, which facilitates the integration of different types of payloads, sensors, and data links. Depending on requirements, it can carry:
- a long-range infrared sensor (PTAS)
- a conventional explosive warhead
- a jammer or electronic payload
- a communications relay capability
This modularity allows for standardization of the supply chain while maintaining maximum operational flexibility. In addition, its compact size allows it to be transported by various means: MALE drones, helicopters, ground vehicles, and even rear-gate transport aircraft.
An accelerated and industrializable development process
The Barracuda-100M is a rare example of accelerated development cycle in the defense industry, which is usually characterized by long lead times and heavy iterations.
Less than two years from concept to powered flight
The initial feasibility studies (trade studies) and design reviews began in 2023. By the end of 2024, all critical phases had been completed: transonic wind tunnel tests, environmental tests, captive flights, and engine tests.
In 2025, autonomous powered flights validated the missile’s operational viability. This development pace – 24 months from concept to mission – is a breakthrough in a sector where comparable programs take 7 to 10 years. This was made possible by direct collaboration with DEVCOM’s Technology Development Directorate (TDD-M) and the use of agile prototyping and validation methods.
A replicable industrial model
The success of the Barracuda-100M illustrates the value of an approach based on:
- the reuse of existing technology building blocks (sensors, software, propulsion)
- vertical integration between software, aerodynamics and propulsion
- cost-constrained development targeting capability rather than technological perfection
This model enables rapid industrialization that can be adapted to the evolving needs of the battlefield without relying on a single complex and costly weapon system. It is in line with the current US approach of favoring so-called “attritable” systems, i.e., systems designed to be used in large numbers, even if they are expendable.
Towards multi-domain and joint integration
The next tests of the Barracuda-100M, scheduled for late 2025 and 2026, will aim to validate its launch capability from different platforms, reinforcing its tactical versatility.
Ground-to-air, air-to-air, and ground-to-ground tests
The firing campaigns will include:
- ground launches from mobile vehicles
- launches from helicopters or drones
- launches from transport aircraft or fixed platforms
This multi-domain compatibility (air-to-ground, ground-to-ground, air-to-air) broadens the range of tactical missions: preemptive strikes, indirect fire support, neutralization of mobile targets, and even saturation of defended areas.
This flexibility is crucial for modern distributed combat doctrines, where heavy platforms are fragmented in favor of mobile, connected, and responsive units.
Anduril’s rise in the military sector
The success of the Barracuda-100M confirms the rise of Anduril Industries, initially perceived as a technology start-up, but now establishing itself as a strategic player in modular weaponry, rivaling long-standing suppliers. Its “software + sensor + vector” approach gives it a structural advantage in a context of high-intensity, high-wear warfare.
War Wings Daily is an independant magazine.