The US Army has advanced Boeing and Anduril to the next stage of a competition to develop a new air defense interceptor.
The interceptor is being developed for the Integrated Fires Protection Capability Increment 2 program.
In the next phase, the Boeing-Anduril team will refine its interceptor, integrate its components, and demonstrate its performance against army requirements.
Combining a Boeing seeker and compact airframe with a solid rocket motor manufactured by Anduril, the proposed interceptor is designed to protect fixed and forward operating bases from cruise missiles, armed drones, and other aerial threats.
It would engage threats beyond the reach of short-range point-defense systems, reducing the need to use longer-range interceptors reserved for more distant or higher-priority targets.
Boeing and Anduril began developing their proposed solution in 2024.
Rocket Motor Production
Anduril argued that the growing deployment of inexpensive, mass-produced cruise missiles and drones by China, Russia, and Iran is emptying “American magazines faster than they can be refilled.”
The company added that decades of industry consolidation have left the US solid rocket motor market in the hands of a few suppliers, limiting the defense industry’s ability to ramp up production quickly.
To help address this production bottleneck, Anduril plans to manufacture the interceptor’s solid rocket motor at its 450-acre (182-hectare) production complex in Mississippi.
The facility has received more than $100 million in company investment and $58 million in US government funding under the Defense Production Act, which supports domestic production considered critical to national security.
According to Anduril, the plant can build different rocket motor configurations on a single line while conducting several manufacturing stages in parallel, helping reduce production times.