Boeing unveils Ultra Low-Cost Seeker built from commercial off-the-shelf parts

Published Aug 11, 06:39 PM UTC

Boeing revealed an Ultra Low-Cost Seeker (ULCS) at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama, on August 11, 2026. The active radar seeker is built largely from commercial off-the-shelf parts adapted for military use, aiming to reduce the high cost of seekers, which are among the most expensive components of guided weapons. Boeing argues that seeker cost limits the number of missiles the military can buy. The ULCS is designed for reuse across air and missile defense interceptors, guided bombs, and cruise missiles, using a modular, open-standard architecture. Boeing conducted several tests earlier in the summer, including anechoic chamber tests, airborne tracking from a Beechcraft 1900, ground-based drone tracking at Spaceport America, and a rocket launch test against a drone target. The seeker survived acceleration and vibration and successfully tracked targets. Boeing plans further flight tests in 2027. The announcement follows Lockheed Martin's similar modular seeker technology, Strigo, revealed the previous day.