The U.S. Anduril Barracuda cruise missile passed WOSA certification, becoming the first open-architecture mass-produced ammunition

The "Barracuda" cruise missile developed by Anduril in the United States recently passed the "Weapon Open System Architecture" (WOSA) certification, becoming the first ammunition of the US Air Force that complies with the open architecture and can be mass-produced. (Picture taken from Anduril)

[Reporter Wu Zheyu/Comprehensive Report] As the U.S. military expands its large-scale expansion of low-cost precision ammunition, it is also preparing to quickly upgrade missiles like "building blocks." The "Barracuda" cruise missile developed by Anduril in the United States recently passed the "Weapon Open System Architecture" (WOSA) certification, becoming the US Air Force's first ammunition that complies with the open architecture and can be mass-produced. In the future, the payload, data link and communication functions can be replaced according to mission requirements.

The military news website "Air & Space Forces Magazine" reported that Anduril is expected to deliver the first batch of Barracuda to the U.S. Department of Defense in early 2027. The company stated that the missile adopts an open software architecture that can integrate different data links and communication modes, and then connect with a large number of current and future aircraft and communication nodes.

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This certification was performed by the Munitions Open Architecture Test and Evaluation Laboratory (MOATEL) of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Engineers used actual hardware to verify WOSA compatibility, covering 14 areas including mission autonomy, seeker, GPS, propulsion, flight control, autonomous driving, guidance, navigation and ammunition data bus.

AFRL pointed out that this achievement proves that open architecture can move from prototype verification to large-scale mass production. Once certified, the Barracuda can be continuously upgraded during service based on new technologies or mission requirements, rather than having to redesign the entire weapon for each modification.

Anduril has currently launched three basic models, including the Barracuda 100, which has a payload of about 15.9 kilograms and a range of more than 222 kilometers; the Barracuda 250, which has a payload of about 15.9 kilograms and a range of more than 370 kilometers; and the largest Barracuda 500, which has a payload of more than 45 kilograms and a range of more than 926 kilometers. The company stated that this WOSA certification applies to all Barracuda derivatives.

In order to reduce supply chain bottlenecks, Anduril has successfully integrated four different turbojet engines on the Barracuda 500, eliminating the need to rely entirely on a single engine source during mass production and highlighting its modular design thinking.

In July this year, the U.S. Department of Defense selected Anduril, CoAspire and Zone 5 to join the "Affordable Mass Missile Family" multi-year framework agreement, with the goal of reaching an annual production of 5,300 missiles in 2028 and further increasing it to 8,000 missiles in 2031.

Not only Anduril, but also the U.S. missile industry is turning towards modularization. Lockheed Martin also recently announced the AGM-158 FLEX, which allows the JASSM and LRASM series to introduce replaceable front-end and other designs. This shows that while the US military is pursuing "large quantities and low cost" of missiles, it also hopes to shorten the upgrade cycle through an open architecture, so that the same weapon can respond to different battlefield needs more quickly.