The U.S. Army has advanced the Boeing-Anduril team to Phase 2 of its IFPC Increment 2 Second Interceptor competition, keeping the pair in the running to build a new mid-range air defense weapon against cruise missiles, one-way attack drones and militarized UAS.
Phase 2 Down-Select
Boeing announced the September 2026 down-select at the same time as an Army program office notification, with Phase 2 covering detailed design, integration, live-fire demonstration and a head-to-head capability shoot-off. The Boeing-Anduril team will compete against a Lockheed Martin-AeroVironment offering; Rafael's Israeli-designed candidate did not advance.
Modular, Faster To Refresh
The interceptor pairs a Boeing-derived seeker with a compact airframe and a solid rocket motor from Anduril Rocket Motor Systems, wrapped in a Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA). That means the seeker, avionics or software blocks can be swapped without redesigning the missile — a design choice the two companies argue will keep pace with fast-evolving cruise missile and swarm-drone threats.
Executive Quotes
"Our scalable production approach delivers reliable, affordable defense against aerial threats," said Bob Ciesla, Vice President of Boeing Precision Engagement Systems. Jim Bryan, Executive Director of Boeing's Integrated Air and Missile Defense business, added that combining "proven seeker expertise with purpose-built interceptor technology" would accelerate the fielding of a mid-tier layer between short-range Stinger-class systems and Patriot-tier missiles.
Why It Matters
The IFPC Increment 2 program is designed to plug the biggest gap in Army air defense — one exposed by the war in Ukraine and the Red Sea drone campaign — and the second-interceptor line is meant to keep magazine depth up while high-end missiles like SM-6 and Patriot are conserved. Related coverage: Anduril's $1.5B DHS counter-UAS sweep, Palantir and Anduril's $192M Army TITAN production award, and the Army's move to push UAVs down to every squad.
Reporting based on coverage from Boeing, Army Recognition and Breaking Defense.