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U.S. Army missile interceptor competition

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2026-10-12 19:07 UTC → 2026-10-20 07:55 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The U.S. Army is conducting a competition for the Integrated Fires Protection Capability (IFPC) Increment 2 Second Interceptor program. This initiative seeks to develop a compact, medium-range interceptor to protect fixed and forward operating bases from aerial threats such as cruise missiles and low-altitude drones. Initially, the Army selected Boeing and Anduril, along with Lockheed Martin, to advance to the second phase of the competition. The Boeing-Anduril proposal utilizes a solid rocket motor manufactured at Anduril’s Mississippi facility and features an Open Systems Modular Architecture designed to allow updates to software and avionics without full redesigns. The program aims to provide an intermediate defense layer to complement the existing AIM-9X Sidewinder configuration, thereby preserving high-end interceptor capacity for more significant targets. In October 2026, Anduril unveiled ‘Steelfin’, a family of configurable and scalable ground-to-air interceptor missiles. Designed to counter a spectrum of threats including drones, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and hypersonic weapons, the system employs a two-stage architecture. It features a first-stage booster and a second-stage terminal interceptor with shared airframe, avionics, and flight controls across variants. This modular design is intended to facilitate rapid scaling, with Anduril planning to produce ‘about several thousand’ Steelfin variants annually in the near term to address the challenge of using expensive interceptors against low-cost threats. Anduril is also exploring manufacturing Steelfin in Europe to support international clients. This follows existing industrial cooperation in Poland, where the country aims to transition into a hub for assembly and production to bolster its domestic defense industry. Flight testing for the Steelfin system is expected to begin in 2027.

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