Boeing unveils ultra-low-cost radar seeker built from off-the-shelf parts

Published Aug 11, 06:39 PM UTC

Boeing revealed an ultra-low-cost radar seeker (ULCS) at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama, on August 11, 2026. The active seeker, built largely from commercial off-the-shelf parts adapted for military use, is designed to reduce the high cost of missile guidance systems, which Boeing argues limits military procurement. The ULCS is intended for use across air and missile defense interceptors, guided bombs, and cruise missiles, leveraging a modular, open-standard architecture for reuse. Boeing conducted several tests in summer 2026, including anechoic chamber checks, airborne tracking from a Beechcraft 1900, ground-based drone tracking at Spaceport America, and a rocket launch against a drone target. The seeker survived acceleration and vibration and successfully tracked targets. Boeing plans further flight tests in 2027 to simulate real-world scenarios. The announcement follows Lockheed Martin's similar modular seeker technology, Strigo, unveiled the previous day.