Polish defense giant PGZ to produce Anduril’s Barracuda cruise missile

WARSAW, Poland — U.S. defense-technology company Anduril Industries has joined forces with Polish state-run defense giant PGZ to initiate local assembly and manufacturing of the surface-launched Barracuda-500M cruise missile.

The development, which is part of Poland’s efforts to acquire long-range missiles and bolster its deterrence posture against Russia, could also facilitate the weapon’s sale to other European Union member states.

Under the plan, Barracuda-500M missiles are to be initially assembled, and subsequently produced, at PGZ’s subsidiary Military Aviation Works No. 2 in Bydgoszcz, in Poland’s west, PGZ said in a statement.

Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Polish deputy prime minister and defense minister, said during the official plan signing ceremony that the deal marks the first agreement of this type initiated by Anduril Industries with a European partner.

“Today, the Polish raison d’état is here, in Bydgoszcz. It demonstrates … a great Polish-American investment in the development of the most modern technologies for long-range, precise, but also inexpensive … cruise missiles that can reach 900 kilometers without any problem,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said.

PGZ and Anduril Industries are teaming up to “manufacture thousands of SLB-500M systems. In subsequent phases of the project, PGZ and Anduril will gradually increase the share of local suppliers by incorporating a growing number of Polish and European-made components,” the Polish group said in a statement.

The Polish company said local production could make the Barracuda eligible for purchases by other EU countries under the bloc’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) scheme. The low-cost loan program is designed to enable member states to strengthen their defense capabilities amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Poland was allocated the largest share of the funds, with around €43.7 billion ($49.9 billion).

“The objective is to develop a Polish version of the Barracuda as a product manufactured predominantly in Europe and compliant with the requirements of the SAFE program,” according to PGZ.

Brian Moran, Anduril’s vice president for Europe, was quoted in an Anduril statement as saying: “Bringing Barracuda production to Poland with PGZ, we are helping build a European industrial base that can replenish precision fires at the speed of relevance, and taking major steps toward the transformation of defense manufacturing on the continent.”

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——美国国防技术公司 Anduril Industries 与波兰国有国防巨头 PGZ 联手，启动了地对地发射的 Barracuda-500M 巡航导弹的本地组装和生产。

这项研发是波兰为获得远程导弹并加强对俄罗斯的威慑态势而做出的努力的一部分，也可能有助于向其他欧盟成员国出售这种武器。

PGZ在一份声明中表示，根据该计划，Barracuda-500M导弹将首先在PGZ位于波兰西部比得哥什的子公司第二军用航空厂进行组装，随后进行生产。

波兰副总理兼国防部长瓦迪斯瓦夫·科西尼亚克-卡梅什在正式的计划签署仪式上表示，该协议标志着安杜里尔工业公司与欧洲合作伙伴达成的首个此类协议。

“今天，波兰的国家意义就体现在这里，在比得哥什。它展现了……波兰和美国在研发最先进的远程、精确且价格低廉的巡航导弹技术方面的巨大投入……这些导弹可以轻松达到900公里射程，”科西尼亚克-卡梅什说道。

波兰PGZ集团和Anduril Industries公司正在合作“生产数千套SLB-500M系统。在项目的后续阶段，PGZ和Anduril将通过采用越来越多的波兰和欧洲制造的零部件，逐步提高本地供应商的份额，”这家波兰集团在一份声明中表示。

这家波兰公司表示，本地化生产将使“梭鱼”导弹系统符合欧盟“欧洲安全行动”（SAFE）计划的采购条件，其他欧盟国家可以购买该系统。这项低成本贷款计划旨在帮助成员国在俄罗斯持续入侵乌克兰的背景下加强国防能力。波兰获得了该计划的最大份额资金，约为437亿欧元（499亿美元）。

据 PGZ 称，“我们的目标是开发一款波兰版的 Barracuda 产品，该产品主要在欧洲生产，并符合 SAFE 计划的要求。”

Anduril 欧洲副总裁 Brian Moran 在 Anduril 的一份声明中表示：“通过与 PGZ 合作将 Barracuda 的生产引入波兰，我们正在帮助建立一个能够以与时俱进的速度补充精确火力的欧洲工业基础，并朝着欧洲大陆国防制造业转型迈出重要一步。”

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。