US arms firm Anduril could make interceptors in Europe, executive says

U.S. defense firm Anduril could eventually manufacture its newly unveiled Steelfin interceptor missiles in Europe, a company executive said this week, as governments aim to expand air defense production after global conflicts highlighted shortages of interceptor missiles.

“I certainly hope that something like Steelfin could become a capability that we engage with both the Polish customer and industry,” Brian Moran, Anduril’s vice president for Europe, told Reuters on Monday.

“We would definitely consider engaging European partners and customers on this capability.” Steelfin is due to undergo flight testing in 2027, according to Anduril.

Wars in Ukraine and the Gulf have strained stocks of air defense interceptor missiles and caused delivery delays.

Moran said Anduril saw Steelfin as a complementary system that could provide a more affordable interceptor alongside existing missile defense systems like the Patriot and others.

The company is already in talks to establish production in Poland of its Barracuda-500 cruise missile, and Moran said that experience could open the door to additional manufacturing projects.

“We’re having a very good experience with our industry partner here, PGZ,” he said, adding that discussions were also under way with the defense ministry and other government agencies. PGZ is Poland’s state-owned arms group.

Poland, one of NATO’s top defense spenders relative to the size of its economy, is seeking to expand domestic arms production and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.

Moran said talks with PGZ, its WZL-2 unit and the government were focused on balancing local production with delivery speed and Poland’s specific military requirements.

Asked about growing calls in Europe for defense industrial sovereignty, Moran said the term could mean different things, from security of supply and maintenance capabilities to control over software upgrades and future modifications.

“Sovereignty has a cost. There’s a cost to localization. There’s cost in terms of timing and just schedule. And those need to be considered in light of the threats that Europe collectively is facing.”

While governments also want economic benefits from defense spending, the military outcome is most important, he said, adding that greater localization can come with additional costs and longer timelines.

美国国防公司安杜里尔的一位高管本周表示，该公司最终可能会在欧洲生产其新推出的“钢鳍”拦截导弹，因为在全球冲突凸显拦截导弹短缺之后，各国政府都希望扩大防空导弹的生产。

“我当然希望像 Steelfin 这样的技术能够成为我们与波兰客户和行业共同参与的一项能力，”Anduril 欧洲副总裁 Brian Moran 周一告诉路透社。

“我们肯定会考虑与欧洲的合作伙伴和客户就这项技术进行洽谈。”据安杜里尔公司称，Steelfin计划于2027年进行飞行测试。

乌克兰和海湾地区的战争导致防空拦截导弹库存紧张，并造成交付延误。

莫兰表示，安杜里尔公司将钢铁鳍视为一种补充系统，可以与爱国者等现有导弹防御系统一起提供更经济实惠的拦截器。

该公司已在洽谈在波兰建立其梭鱼-500巡航导弹的生产基地，莫兰表示，这一经验可能会为其他制造项目打开大门。

他表示：“我们与波兰的工业合作伙伴PGZ的合作非常顺利。”他还补充说，他们也在与国防部和其他政府机构进行磋商。PGZ是波兰的国有军工集团。

波兰是北约国防开支最高的国家之一（按经济规模计算），该国正寻求扩大国内武器生产，减少对外国供应商的依赖。

莫兰表示，与 PGZ、其 WZL-2 部门和政府的会谈重点在于平衡本地生产与交付速度以及波兰的具体军事要求。

当被问及欧洲日益高涨的国防工业主权呼声时，莫兰表示，该术语可能意味着不同的事情，从供应和维护能力的安全到对软件升级和未来修改的控制。

“主权是有代价的。本地化是有代价的。时间安排和进度安排也是有代价的。考虑到欧洲共同面临的威胁，这些都需要加以考虑。”

他表示，虽然各国政府也希望从国防开支中获得经济利益，但军事成果才是最重要的。他还补充说，更高的本地化程度可能会带来额外的成本和更长的工期。