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After the Battle for Mars exposed the weaknesses in various Terran ship designs, the Terran Defense Authority sat down to critically review and overhaul their shipbuilding program. Wartime had forced the ad-hoc modification of such ships that existed, and the designs in the field had, for the most part, never been tested in combat before the Proximan offensive. While the Battle for Mars had taken a terrible toll on Terran forces, it was also a test of fire and the information gained from that engagement would help to shape the "second wave" of Terran ship designs. While modification of existing ships was economical, in the long run it was wasteful if the ships thus produced could not match up effectively with the enemy's forces. To that end, a new three-tiered interceptor system was designed that streamlined the shipbuilding program, made maximum use of scarce resources, and ensured that Terra would not get caught flat-footed again.

The first tier was the deep-space interceptor (exemplified by the Hornet). The second was a shorter-range, dual-environment defense ship (the Cutlass, though an older design, was deemed sufficient for this role) that would specialize in planetary defense. The third was an atmospheric fighter of exceptional maneuverability and speed, designed to cope with the enemy's atmospheric craft (like the Proximan Piranha) on equal terms. This role was filled by the TDA Barracuda.

The TDA put out a call for the high-powered atmospheric interceptor in late 2155. The design competition was won not by any of the large aerospace manufacturers, but by the relatively unknown outfit of Dixon-Bourne, designers of atmospheric race vehicles. The design entered production in 2156 and the first units were flying patrols by December of that year.

The Barracuda proved to be as fast, powerful, and maneuverable as advertised. Though unarmored, it was heavily-armed, and simulations suggested that it would be superior to the larger and bulkier Piranha in a dogfight. Barracudas were widely deployed on Mars as well as on Earth, and flyovers of strategically important points were a common sight during the war, both as a training exercise and as a reassurance to the population below.

The Barracuda suffered from a few early design flaws, including a tendency for the vertical stabilizer to delaminate during high-speed maneuvers in Earth's thicker atmosphere; this problem was speedily corrected. Due to its oversized engine, the Barracuda also suffered a great deal of airframe stress, and the technical inspection crews always had to be on the lookout for structural fatigue. In addition, the Barracuda, perhaps echoing its roots in racing craft, proved to be fairly temperamental and had a higher rate of breakdowns and needed more maintenance than originally planned for.

As good as it may have been in simulations, the Barracuda was never used in combat during the Proxima War. A second invasion of the Sol system never occurred, and attempts to utilize the Barracuda during the ground war on Proxima ran into problems as its high maintenance needs made it unsuitable for the rigors of that action. The Alphan military purchased several Barracudas for defense of Alpha III, and they proved as popular with Alphan pilots as they had with Terrans, but Proxima's ability to strike into Alphan space had already been spent by that time. Still, they formed the backbone of several planetary defense units and the Barracuda remains in service to this day.