Tiberius Aerospace, the modern defense technology company building next-generation weapon systems and AI-powered defense solutions for the United States, United Kingdom and allied nations, today announced that Invictus is moving from early laboratory investigation to prove the concept into formal engineering Test & Evaluation (T&E) development, marking a major step towards fielding its next-generation long-range precision strike system.

Invictus is a tube-launched, multi-mission system designed for integration across multiple platforms and domains. Its architecture is intended to support launch from vertical launch systems and autonomous vehicles operating across land and sea, giving warfighters greater flexibility in how long-range precision effects are delivered.

Tiberius Aerospace launched its first ramjet munition, Sceptre, in May 2025 and recently announced successful ramjet ignition during live firing in the US. 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. 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.

The program is advancing against an increasingly urgent strategic challenge: the need for the United States and its allies to rebuild long-range precision strike capacity faster than traditional defense production can replenish it. The U.S. Army used virtually all of its stockpile of ATACMS and Precision Strike Missiles during the five-month 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 production and rebuild stockpiles.

Invictus is being designed to address both capability and capacity, combining long-range precision with an architecture built for adaptability and scale. The Invictus-200 will pair a ramjet with an integral booster to deliver speeds up to Mach 3 and precision strike at ranges of up to 200 kilometres, with targeting precision of 5.5-meter CEP depending on guidance configuration. Its 10– 15 kilogram payload capacity and modular, open architecture will allow the system to be configured for different missions and evolve as operational requirements change.

“The move into formal engineering, testing and evaluation is a major step toward turning Invictus from a promising technology into a deployable capability,” said Chad Steelberg, Founder and CEO of Tiberius Aerospace. “Invictus and Sceptre have been designed from first principles to deliver cost-effective lethality from the outset, using our AI powered platform GRAIL to maximize 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 program requirements with domestic and allied suppliers capable of producing components and systems and therefore supporting a broader and more resilient industrial base. 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.”

Tiberius Aerospace, the modern defense technology company building next-generation weapon systems and AI-powered defense solutions for the United States, the United Kingdom and allied nations, today announced that it has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center (DEVCOM AC) to support the continued development and maturation of Sceptre, the company’s next-generation precision-guided, ramjet-powered 155mm artillery munition.

The CRADA establishes a collaborative research framework between Tiberius Aerospace and DEVCOM AC, enabling the parties to collaborate on mutually agreed research and technical activities relating to the Sceptre program. CRADAs are a long-established mechanism through which the U.S. Army works with industry to accelerate the development and maturation of technologies of mutual interest.

Unlike conventional rocket-assisted projectiles, Sceptre uses a liquid-fueled ramjet that provides sustained propulsion throughout flight, delivering a step change in the performance of tube artillery. Fired from a NATO-standard 155mm howitzer, Sceptre is designed to accelerate beyond Mach 3, reach altitudes exceeding 65,000 feet and deliver precision effects at ranges of up to 150 kilometers, with target accuracy within five meters, even in GPS-denied environments.

Crucially, Sceptre requires no new launcher or bespoke firing platform, enabling armed forces to dramatically extend the capability of their existing artillery inventories without introducing a new weapon system. Its propulsion system uses a multi-fuel liquid propellant compatible with readily available military fuels, including diesel, JP-4 and JP-8, reducing logistics, storage and sustainment requirements while leveraging existing battlefield fuel supply chains.

Designed from the outset as a software-defined weapon, Sceptre combines advanced propulsion with a modular open architecture that enables continuous capability upgrades throughout its service life. Through integration with GRAIL, Tiberius Aerospace’s AI-powered platform for the continuous iteration of weapon systems, new targeting capabilities, guidance algorithms, mission software and autonomy can be rapidly integrated throughout the munition’s lifecycle. By connecting operational requirements with engineering, testing and federated manufacturing, GRAIL enables Sceptre to evolve continuously in response to emerging threats, accelerating the delivery of improved capability to the battlefield.

In April 2026, Tiberius Aerospace achieved a world-first demonstration by successfully launching a liquid-fueled ramjet from a NATO-standard 155mm howitzer. Together with previous demonstrations of round integrity under launch conditions of approximately 16,000 g, successful fin deployment and stable aerodynamic flight the company’s disciplined flight-test program continues to systematically validate each of the core technologies underpinning Sceptre.

The CRADA further expands Tiberius Aerospace’s collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense and marks another important milestone in the maturation of the Sceptre program.

By combining advanced propulsion, precision guidance, software-defined architecture and AI-enabled continuous iteration.