Anduril Wins $23.9M Contract to Equip U.S. Marines With Man-Packable Bolt-M Loitering Munitions
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Anduril Industries announced a $23.9 million U.S. Marine Corps contract for the next phase of the Organic Precision Fires-Light program, covering delivery of more than 600 Bolt-M loitering munition systems starting in February 2026. The award highlights how the Marine Corps is pushing long-range, precision strike capabilities directly to dismounted infantry squads as modern combat demands faster, organic fires.
On 15 January 2026, Anduril Industries announced that the U.S. Marine Corps had awarded the company a 23.9 million dollar contract for the next phase of the Organic Precision Fires-Light (OPF-L) program. The agreement covers the delivery of more than 600 Bolt-M loitering munition systems beginning in February 2026, giving dismounted Marine infantry rifle squads a man-packable, easy-to-operate precision strike capability beyond line of sight. The contract reflects the growing place of loitering munitions in modern land combat, where small units increasingly require their own long-range, precise fires. For the Marine Corps, it is a concrete step in translating Force Design concepts into equipment issued at the squad level.
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The U.S. Marine Corps has awarded Anduril Industries a $23.9 million contract to deliver more than 600 Bolt-M loitering munition systems, pushing precision strike capability down to dismounted infantry squads beginning in early 2026 (Picture Source: Anduril)
The OPF-L program is designed to place organic precision fires directly in the hands of rifle squads and platoons, rather than leaving small units dependent on artillery batteries, naval gunfire or close air support for engagements beyond direct-fire range. Its requirement is for systems that are genuinely man-packable, rapidly deployable and usable by non-specialist operators, while still offering beyond-line-of-sight reach against defended targets. In doctrinal terms, OPF-L underpins the Marine Corps’ move toward more dispersed, survivable and lethal formations that can operate across littoral and archipelagic environments with limited infrastructure. The program is structured as a competitive, multi-vendor effort with a broader ceiling in the order of 249 million dollars, enabling the Corps to field different loitering munitions for complementary roles and to adjust purchases based on operational feedback.
Within this framework, Bolt-M is Anduril’s loitering munition solution tailored to the OPF-L requirement. The system combines a range of more than 20 kilometres with an endurance of approximately 40 minutes and an all-up weight of about 13 to 15 pounds, parameters that allow multiple rounds plus a compact ground control station to be carried by a small team without unbalancing a patrol. Built as a vertical take-off and landing quadcopter, Bolt-M does not require launch rails or catapults and can be prepared and flown from restricted terrain in a few minutes. The munition is integrated with Anduril’s Lattice software environment, which fuses data from multiple sensors and platforms to support mission planning, target acquisition and engagement. For operators, this translates into an interface closer to a modern handheld device than to a traditional unmanned aircraft ground control station, with a high degree of automation in navigation and attack profiles while keeping a human in the decision loop.
Bolt-M’s path to this production award combines a relatively recent unveiling with a rapid, intensive test campaign. Anduril publicly introduced the Bolt family, including the weaponised Bolt-M variant, in October 2024, positioning it from the outset as a man-packable, lethal drone aligned with OPF-L. In the 13 months that followed, the Marine Corps received more than 250 Bolt-M systems for evaluation under OPF-L, subjecting them to safety, environmental and performance testing and flying the platform hundreds of times against a variety of target sets. According to Anduril, this phase validated the munition’s ability to meet demanding requirements for range, endurance and payload delivery in operationally representative conditions. In parallel, the company invested heavily in its dedicated Bolt production line, streamlining design engineering, supply-chain management and manufacturing processes to reach a capacity of more than 100 all-up rounds per month. The firm has already demonstrated the ability to deliver over 300 Bolt systems to another customer within five months, an indicator that its industrial model is geared toward high-tempo series production rather than limited prototyping.
The introduction of Bolt-M has direct consequences for how Marine infantry units can plan and execute operations. With a 20+ kilometre reach and roughly 40 minutes of loiter time, a squad leader can launch a munition from covered positions, send it over ridgelines, urban obstacles or water gaps, and build a detailed picture of enemy activity before deciding whether to strike. The same system can support route clearance, overwatch of key terrain, suppression of enemy firing points and engagement of high-value targets such as anti-tank teams, command posts or air defence sensors. The portability and relative simplicity of Bolt-M mean that these tasks no longer depend exclusively on scarce higher-echelon assets; they become options available to the unit manoeuvring on the ground, in real time. In contested environments where air superiority is uncertain and artillery ammunition may be constrained, such an organic capability allows commanders to close kill chains quickly while limiting exposure of their own forces.
By contracting more than 600 Bolt-M systems for delivery between February 2026 and April 2027, with first operational units to receive the munition in the summer of 2026, the Marine Corps signals that loitering munitions are now considered core equipment for expeditionary formations rather than niche tools. The move aligns with broader U.S. efforts to prepare for high-intensity conflict in the Indo-Pacific, where dispersed forces operating from austere bases must be capable of generating precise effects without always relying on large platforms. It also shows how the service is responding to lessons from recent conflicts, where small drones and loitering munitions have had a disproportionate impact against armoured vehicles, artillery positions and logistics nodes. For Anduril, the award confirms that its combination of software-centric architectures, modular unmanned systems and scaled production resonates with U.S. force-planning priorities; for allies and partners, the decision offers a reference point as they consider their own investments in man-portable precision strike.
The 23.9 million dollar contract is a significant but measured commitment within the larger OPF-L portfolio. Divided across more than 600 munitions plus ground control and support equipment, it points to a unit cost in the low tens of thousands of dollars, placing Bolt-M in a different category from larger guided missiles while still requiring disciplined use at unit level. The contract’s timing, coming after a year-long evaluation phase and in parallel with awards to other suppliers under the same umbrella program, suggests that the Marine Corps sees value in maintaining a diversified mix of loitering munitions that can be tailored to different missions and theatres. The wider OPF-L ceiling around 249 million dollars leaves room for follow-on orders, upgrades or new variants, and sets incentives for industry to keep improving reliability, manufacturability and integration with command-and-control networks.
The Anduril–US Marine Corps agreement around Bolt-M marks a decisive moment in the consolidation of loitering munitions as standard equipment for Western infantry forces. By pairing a genuinely backpack-portable air vehicle with an industrial model built for speed and scale, the OPF-L program gives rifle squads an organic means to sense and strike well beyond traditional small-arms range. The 23.9 million dollar award is modest compared to major platform programs, but its effects will be felt directly in how Marine units train, plan and fight from 2026 onward. As Bolt-M enters service alongside other OPF-L systems, it will help define new tactics, techniques and procedures for distributed operations, setting a benchmark that other armed forces, and potential adversaries, will study closely in the years ahead.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
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Anduril Industries announced a $23.9 million U.S. Marine Corps contract for the next phase of the Organic Precision Fires-Light program, covering delivery of more than 600 Bolt-M loitering munition systems starting in February 2026. The award highlights how the Marine Corps is pushing long-range, precision strike capabilities directly to dismounted infantry squads as modern combat demands faster, organic fires.
On 15 January 2026, Anduril Industries announced that the U.S. Marine Corps had awarded the company a 23.9 million dollar contract for the next phase of the Organic Precision Fires-Light (OPF-L) program. The agreement covers the delivery of more than 600 Bolt-M loitering munition systems beginning in February 2026, giving dismounted Marine infantry rifle squads a man-packable, easy-to-operate precision strike capability beyond line of sight. The contract reflects the growing place of loitering munitions in modern land combat, where small units increasingly require their own long-range, precise fires. For the Marine Corps, it is a concrete step in translating Force Design concepts into equipment issued at the squad level.
The U.S. Marine Corps has awarded Anduril Industries a $23.9 million contract to deliver more than 600 Bolt-M loitering munition systems, pushing precision strike capability down to dismounted infantry squads beginning in early 2026 (Picture Source: Anduril)
The OPF-L program is designed to place organic precision fires directly in the hands of rifle squads and platoons, rather than leaving small units dependent on artillery batteries, naval gunfire or close air support for engagements beyond direct-fire range. Its requirement is for systems that are genuinely man-packable, rapidly deployable and usable by non-specialist operators, while still offering beyond-line-of-sight reach against defended targets. In doctrinal terms, OPF-L underpins the Marine Corps’ move toward more dispersed, survivable and lethal formations that can operate across littoral and archipelagic environments with limited infrastructure. The program is structured as a competitive, multi-vendor effort with a broader ceiling in the order of 249 million dollars, enabling the Corps to field different loitering munitions for complementary roles and to adjust purchases based on operational feedback.
Within this framework, Bolt-M is Anduril’s loitering munition solution tailored to the OPF-L requirement. The system combines a range of more than 20 kilometres with an endurance of approximately 40 minutes and an all-up weight of about 13 to 15 pounds, parameters that allow multiple rounds plus a compact ground control station to be carried by a small team without unbalancing a patrol. Built as a vertical take-off and landing quadcopter, Bolt-M does not require launch rails or catapults and can be prepared and flown from restricted terrain in a few minutes. The munition is integrated with Anduril’s Lattice software environment, which fuses data from multiple sensors and platforms to support mission planning, target acquisition and engagement. For operators, this translates into an interface closer to a modern handheld device than to a traditional unmanned aircraft ground control station, with a high degree of automation in navigation and attack profiles while keeping a human in the decision loop.
Bolt-M’s path to this production award combines a relatively recent unveiling with a rapid, intensive test campaign. Anduril publicly introduced the Bolt family, including the weaponised Bolt-M variant, in October 2024, positioning it from the outset as a man-packable, lethal drone aligned with OPF-L. In the 13 months that followed, the Marine Corps received more than 250 Bolt-M systems for evaluation under OPF-L, subjecting them to safety, environmental and performance testing and flying the platform hundreds of times against a variety of target sets. According to Anduril, this phase validated the munition’s ability to meet demanding requirements for range, endurance and payload delivery in operationally representative conditions. In parallel, the company invested heavily in its dedicated Bolt production line, streamlining design engineering, supply-chain management and manufacturing processes to reach a capacity of more than 100 all-up rounds per month. The firm has already demonstrated the ability to deliver over 300 Bolt systems to another customer within five months, an indicator that its industrial model is geared toward high-tempo series production rather than limited prototyping.
The introduction of Bolt-M has direct consequences for how Marine infantry units can plan and execute operations. With a 20+ kilometre reach and roughly 40 minutes of loiter time, a squad leader can launch a munition from covered positions, send it over ridgelines, urban obstacles or water gaps, and build a detailed picture of enemy activity before deciding whether to strike. The same system can support route clearance, overwatch of key terrain, suppression of enemy firing points and engagement of high-value targets such as anti-tank teams, command posts or air defence sensors. The portability and relative simplicity of Bolt-M mean that these tasks no longer depend exclusively on scarce higher-echelon assets; they become options available to the unit manoeuvring on the ground, in real time. In contested environments where air superiority is uncertain and artillery ammunition may be constrained, such an organic capability allows commanders to close kill chains quickly while limiting exposure of their own forces.
By contracting more than 600 Bolt-M systems for delivery between February 2026 and April 2027, with first operational units to receive the munition in the summer of 2026, the Marine Corps signals that loitering munitions are now considered core equipment for expeditionary formations rather than niche tools. The move aligns with broader U.S. efforts to prepare for high-intensity conflict in the Indo-Pacific, where dispersed forces operating from austere bases must be capable of generating precise effects without always relying on large platforms. It also shows how the service is responding to lessons from recent conflicts, where small drones and loitering munitions have had a disproportionate impact against armoured vehicles, artillery positions and logistics nodes. For Anduril, the award confirms that its combination of software-centric architectures, modular unmanned systems and scaled production resonates with U.S. force-planning priorities; for allies and partners, the decision offers a reference point as they consider their own investments in man-portable precision strike.
The 23.9 million dollar contract is a significant but measured commitment within the larger OPF-L portfolio. Divided across more than 600 munitions plus ground control and support equipment, it points to a unit cost in the low tens of thousands of dollars, placing Bolt-M in a different category from larger guided missiles while still requiring disciplined use at unit level. The contract’s timing, coming after a year-long evaluation phase and in parallel with awards to other suppliers under the same umbrella program, suggests that the Marine Corps sees value in maintaining a diversified mix of loitering munitions that can be tailored to different missions and theatres. The wider OPF-L ceiling around 249 million dollars leaves room for follow-on orders, upgrades or new variants, and sets incentives for industry to keep improving reliability, manufacturability and integration with command-and-control networks.
The Anduril–US Marine Corps agreement around Bolt-M marks a decisive moment in the consolidation of loitering munitions as standard equipment for Western infantry forces. By pairing a genuinely backpack-portable air vehicle with an industrial model built for speed and scale, the OPF-L program gives rifle squads an organic means to sense and strike well beyond traditional small-arms range. The 23.9 million dollar award is modest compared to major platform programs, but its effects will be felt directly in how Marine units train, plan and fight from 2026 onward. As Bolt-M enters service alongside other OPF-L systems, it will help define new tactics, techniques and procedures for distributed operations, setting a benchmark that other armed forces, and potential adversaries, will study closely in the years ahead.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
