California-headquartered defence technology company Tiberius Aerospace announced on 20 August 2026 that its Invictus canister-launched multi-mission missile concept is moving from early laboratory investigations into a formal engineering test and evaluation phase.
The Invictus missile is designed for integration across multiple platforms and domains. Its architecture is intended to support it being fired from vertical launch systems and autonomous vehicles operating across land and sea, affording greater flexibility in how long-range precision effects are delivered.
Powered by an integrated booster-ramjet propulsion system, the Invictus missile is intended to have a range of 180-200 km and a velocity of Mach 3. The missile, which has active GPS and inertial hybrid guidance to maintain precision across extended engagement ranges, is intended to achieve a targeting precision of 5.5 m circular error probable (CEP), depending on its guidance configuration. The missile has a 10-15 kg payload capacity and features a modular payload architecture that supports mission-specific effects without the missile having to be resigned.
Tiberius Aerospace launched its first ramjet munition, the Sceptre 155 mm artillery round, in May 2025 and in April 2026 achieved a world-first demonstration by successfully launching it from a NATO-standard 155 mm howitzer. On 4 August Tiberius Aerospace announced that it had entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center (DEVCOM AC) to support the continued development and maturation of Sceptre
“This rapid development and learning has facilitated the accelerated transition of the Invictus programme from exploratory laboratory development into a proven engineering program focused on validating propulsion, flight performance, guidance, platform integration and manufacturability through formal testing,” the company stated. “Direct-connect testing of the Invictus ramjet engine is already underway at Purdue’s Zucrow Laboratories, where the engine has demonstrated excellent operability using Jet-A across all conditions tested to date.”
Tiberius Aerospace says the Invictus missile is being designed to address both capability and capacity, addressing the need for the US armed forces and their allies to rebuild long-range precision strike capacity faster than traditional defence production can replenish it. The company noted that the US Army used virtually all of its stockpile of Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) rounds and Precision Strike Missiles during five months of conflict with Iran, intensifying concerns about readiness for future contingencies. Across Europe, Western missile inventories have also come under growing pressure, driving NATO governments and manufacturers to accelerate munitions production and rebuild stockpiles.
“The move into formal engineering, testing and evaluation is a major step toward turning Invictus from a promising technology into a deployable capability,” Chad Steelberg, founder and CEO of Tiberius Aerospace, was quoted as stating in a company press release. “Invictus and Sceptre have been designed from first principles to deliver cost-effective lethality from the outset, using our AI-powered platform GRAIL to maximise the combat effect delivered for every dollar spent by simplifying the weapon, engineering it for high-volume production and building in an open architecture that can evolve without replacing the entire system.
“We have used GRAIL to enable a Silicon Valley approach to product development, connecting programme requirements with domestic and allied suppliers capable of producing components and systems and therefore supporting a broader and more resilient industrial base,” said Steelberg. “Invictus will bring together long-range precision, multi-domain flexibility, cost-effective lethality and scalable production in a weapon designed not only for today’s operational requirements, but for continuous adaptation throughout its service life.”
