Poland to Localize Production of American Barracuda 500 Cruise Missiles

Poland plans to purchase and set up production of American Barracuda 500 cruise missiles modified to meet its needs.

Tomasz Dmitruk, editor of the Polish military publications Dziennik Zbrojny and Nowa Technika Wojskowa, announced this on his X account.

According to him, an agreement is scheduled to be signed on October 27 between the Polish company Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa and the American firm Anduril, the purpose of which will be, among other things, to produce a Polish-modified version of the Barracuda 500 cruise missile.

Barracuda 500

The Barracuda 500 is not a traditional cruise missile, but rather a jet-powered UAV – a carrier platform for various types of combat payloads, reconnaissance equipment, or electronic warfare systems. They are installed onboard before a mission, depending on the type of task and the role of each Barracuda 500 within a larger group.

The Barracuda-500M variant, equipped with a warhead, is essentially a small cruise missile with a flight range of over 500 nautical miles (more than 926 km) and a payload capacity exceeding 100 pounds (approximately 45 kg). It is capable of performing maneuvers with up to 5 G of overload and has a flight endurance of more than 120 minutes.

Anduril claims that the maximum speed of all Barracuda types, which are powered by small turbojet engines, is “up to 500 knots” (approximately 926 km/h) depending on launch mode and other factors.

The production cost of a single serial platform is expected to be no more than $150,000, which is significantly less than conventional cruise missiles.

Initially these missiles were developed for air launch, but in September 2025 Anduril conducted tests of the Barracuda-500 launched from a ground-based launcher.

The company said the tests took place earlier in the year and are part of a broader, internally funded program to further develop Barracuda’s capabilities in a ground-based version.

The launch solid-propellant rocket motor is designed as a simple modular kit that attaches to the missile’s tail. Anduril developed this module so that it is compatible with various motors that could be supplied by U.S. manufacturers or by industrial firms in allied countries.

Poland will not be the first country, outside the United States, to set up production of these missiles. In September it was reported that Taiwan is also pursuing this.

At that time the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) said it plans to mass-produce the missile in Taiwan through technology transfer.