Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs announced that Latvia expects to finalize the purchase of Anduril’s Barracuda long-range cruise missiles following a visit to the American defense company. The prospective acquisition would make Latvia the first Baltic state to field a strike weapon in this specialized category, significantly expanding the nation’s military reach as NATO’s eastern flank strengthens its conventional deterrent capabilities.
Latvia Positions Itself as First Baltic State to Seek Strike Missiles
https://x.com/edgarsrinkevics/status/2103342906568536229
During his visit to the company’s facilities, Rinkēvičs met with Anduril founder Palmer Luckey and witnessed the signing of defense cooperation memoranda involving the Latvian Ministry of Defense and Riga-based drone manufacturer Origin Robotics. While officials have not yet disclosed the precise Barracuda variant, purchase quantities, delivery timelines, or contract values, the prospective deal marks a sharp pivot in Riga’s defense posture. Latvia currently borders Russia and Belarus, and its longest-range strike asset on order is the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), a ballistic missile with a range of approximately 186 miles that is being bought alongside six HIMARS launchers under a deal approved by the U.S. State Department in 2023. Acquisition of the Barracuda-500 would roughly triple that reach, extending potential operational range to over 575 miles.
Inside the Barracuda Design and Cruise Missile Architecture
Unveiled by Anduril in September 2024, the Barracuda is a family of turbojet-powered, subsonic cruise missiles built in three distinct sizes: the Barracuda-100, -250, and -500. The largest variant, the Barracuda-500, carries a warhead weighing more than 45 kilograms over distances exceeding 926 kilometers.
Low-Cost, High-Volume Manufacturing for Modern Conflict
Engineered for rapid, large-scale manufacture, the three models share more than 90 percent of their components. Anduril states that the Barracuda design reduces production time by half and costs approximately 30 percent less than similar cruise missiles. The munitions are capable of launch from fighter jets, helicopters, cargo aircraft, ships and ground launchers, with variants designed to operate together and split roles on a single mission, functioning as decoys, scouts, or strikers.
Deepening Industrial Ties With Ukrainian Combat Experience
The agreements signed during the presidential visit also involve Origin Robotics, a Latvian defense firm whose BEAK drone is currently in combat service in Ukraine. Origin Robotics also produces BLAZE, a briefcase-sized interceptor drone that uses onboard radar and artificial intelligence-based cameras to autonomously locate and strike enemy unmanned aerial vehicles after launch.
A Broader European Shift Toward Independent Strike Reach
Latvia’s move to acquire the missiles parallels a broader European rearmament trend toward independent deep-precision strike capabilities. Several NATO members are pursuing ground- and sea-launched conventional strike systems with ranges spanning 1,000 to 2,000 kilometers or more. Neighboring Poland has similarly moved to integrate long-range systems, including an agreement signed in July by state-owned defense group PGZ to assemble and eventually produce the Barracuda-500M locally at its Military Aviation Works No. 2 plant in Bydgoszcz.
