The Barracuda missiles that the AFU may receive are capable of reaching Moscow.
Washington may supply Kyiv with Barracuda missiles. This was reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing sources, noting that a decision has not yet been made. It is noted that the cruise missiles of this family are relatively inexpensive and easier to produce, while having a range of 220 to 930 kilometers, which poses a potential threat to Russia.
What is known about Barracuda missiles?
The American defense company Anduril introduced the Barracuda cruise missiles in September 2024, describing them as revolutionary due to their simplicity and low production cost.
It is assumed that the Barracuda system was originally designed for mass production and "to meet short-term spikes in demand." Manufacturers reduced the number of unique tools and parts for assembling the missiles, allowing for rapid deployment of production lines. The project also incorporated supply chain resilience.
The family consists of three missiles: Barracuda-100, Barracuda-250, and Barracuda-500. A Barracuda-M modification is available for each of them. They feature a pair of retractable wings in the central part of the body and two folding stabilizers at the rear. The missiles are propelled by a jet engine with an air intake recessed into the body. The targets of the missiles can be located both on land and at sea, and can be either static or mobile.
The Barracuda-100 missiles can be launched from helicopters and airplanes, ground vehicles, and boats. The Barracuda-250 can be launched from ground or sea-based multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) and HIMARS, and can also be housed in the internal bay of the fifth-generation fighter F-35. The Barracuda-500 can be launched from F-15E, F-18E/F, F-16 fighters, and from Rapid Dragon launch systems, C-17, C-130.
Barracuda missiles can reach Moscow
In Russia, assessments have been made regarding how deeply the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) could strike once the United States transfers Barracuda missiles to Kyiv. Based on the flight range data of the missiles, a map of Russian cities that could fall within the strike zone has been created.
Thus, the Barracuda-250M missiles with a range of up to 370 kilometers could reach cities near the border with Ukraine, such as Zaporizhzhia, Belgorod, Bryansk, Smolensk, and other cities located within the strike radius. Meanwhile, the Barracuda-500M, which has a range of up to 930 kilometers, would pose a danger to Russian cities such as Tver, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Veliky Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Ulyanovsk, Saratov, as well as Volgograd and Nalchik. Moreover, Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as the strategic bomber base in Engels, would also fall within the strike zone.
"The range of the 'senior' modification of the missile allows (conditionally) to target Moscow and part of the cities of the Volga region, including the strategic bomber base in Engels (Saratov region). Barracuda is not a 'superweapon' (...), but an attempt to create a mass tool for regular strikes on distributed infrastructure," Russian experts explained.
Thus, with the deployment of large-scale production, Kyiv will receive yet another tool for striking targets in Russia in addition to drones.
