Anduril Unveils Modular Steelfin Interceptor Family

Anduril Industries announced Steelfin on October 12, a modular family of air-defense interceptors designed for missions ranging from short-range site protection to ballistic-missile defense. The company says a shared design will allow different versions to use interchangeable boosters and common terminal-stage components, while working with existing military launchers and fire-control systems. Steelfin has a two-stage architecture. A solid-rocket booster can be changed to suit a mission, while the terminal interceptor shares an airframe, avionics, software and flight controls across the family. Anduril says the design can also accommodate different seekers and mission systems without requiring a complete missile redesign. It has described both hit-to-kill and blast-fragmentation versions. The company says Steelfin is designed for launch systems including Patriot’s M903A2 launcher, the Mk 41 Vertical Launch System and Typhon. It also says the family is intended to integrate with the Aegis combat system and the Army’s Integrated Battle Command System. The compatibility and performance descriptions are company claims; the supplied reports do not cite independent test results.