diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Communication/Actors/ISiteCommandTransport.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Communication/Actors/ISiteCommandTransport.cs
index 89545aa6..1b3efc0f 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Communication/Actors/ISiteCommandTransport.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Communication/Actors/ISiteCommandTransport.cs
@@ -24,8 +24,10 @@ public interface ISiteCommandTransport
     /// Routes <paramref name="envelope"/>'s message to its site. Any reply the site produces is
     /// delivered to <paramref name="replyTo"/> — for an <c>Ask</c> that is the temporary ask actor
     /// (completing the caller's task); for a <c>Tell</c>-with-sender (the debug bridge) that is the
-    /// originating actor. A message with no route (an unknown site) is warned and dropped so the
-    /// caller's <c>Ask</c> times out — central never buffers for an unreachable site.
+    /// originating actor. A message with no route (an unknown/unconfigured site) fails fast: a
+    /// <see cref="Status.Failure"/> is delivered to <paramref name="replyTo"/> immediately instead of
+    /// letting the caller's <c>Ask</c> burn its full timeout — central still never buffers for an
+    /// unreachable site.
     /// </summary>
     /// <param name="envelope">The site-addressed command envelope.</param>
     /// <param name="replyTo">Where a reply (or a <see cref="Status.Failure"/>) is delivered.</param>
diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Communication/Grpc/GrpcSiteTransport.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Communication/Grpc/GrpcSiteTransport.cs
index 33322fe3..7d3bffad 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Communication/Grpc/GrpcSiteTransport.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Communication/Grpc/GrpcSiteTransport.cs
@@ -22,9 +22,10 @@ namespace ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Communication.Grpc;
 /// <remarks>
 /// <para>
 /// <b>Per-call deadlines match today's Ask timeouts exactly</b> — see <see cref="ResolveDeadline"/>.
-/// Behaviour is otherwise unchanged from the Akka path: an unknown/unconfigured site is warned and
-/// dropped (the caller's Ask times out), and a transport fault surfaces to the caller as a
-/// <see cref="Status.Failure"/>, which the S&amp;F/audit layers already treat as transient.
+/// An unknown/unconfigured site now fails fast: it surfaces to the caller as a
+/// <see cref="Status.Failure"/> immediately (WP1.6) instead of being warned-and-dropped to let the
+/// caller's Ask burn its full timeout. A transport fault takes the same <see cref="Status.Failure"/>
+/// path, which the S&amp;F/audit layers already treat as transient.
 /// </para>
 /// <para>
 /// <b>Cross-node retry is the channel provider's job</b> and happens only on
@@ -79,13 +80,21 @@ public sealed class GrpcSiteTransport : ISiteCommandTransport
                 replyTo.Tell(reply, ActorRefs.NoSender);
             }
         }
-        catch (SiteChannelUnavailableException)
+        catch (SiteChannelUnavailableException ex)
         {
-            // Parity with the removed Akka "no ClusterClient for site" path: warn and drop, so the caller's
-            // Ask times out. Central never buffers.
+            // WP1.6: a known-dead send (no configured channel for this site) used to warn-and-drop,
+            // leaving the caller's Ask to burn its full timeout for a failure we already know about.
+            // Fail fast instead — same Status.Failure completion path a transport fault takes below —
+            // so S&F/audit treat it as transient immediately rather than tens of seconds later.
+            // Central still never buffers for an unreachable site; only the completion timing changed.
             _logger.LogWarning(
-                "No gRPC channel for site {SiteId}; dropping {Message} (caller's Ask will time out)",
+                "No gRPC channel for site {SiteId}; failing {Message} immediately instead of dropping it",
                 envelope.SiteId, envelope.Message.GetType().Name);
+
+            if (!fireAndForget && !replyTo.IsNobody())
+            {
+                replyTo.Tell(new Status.Failure(ex), ActorRefs.NoSender);
+            }
         }
         catch (Exception ex)
         {
diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Communication/Grpc/SitePairChannelProvider.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Communication/Grpc/SitePairChannelProvider.cs
index f2cf359e..b8128f9f 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Communication/Grpc/SitePairChannelProvider.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Communication/Grpc/SitePairChannelProvider.cs
@@ -8,9 +8,11 @@ namespace ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Communication.Grpc;
 
 /// <summary>
 /// Raised when a site has no usable gRPC channel — an unknown site, or a site with neither
-/// <c>GrpcNodeAAddress</c> nor <c>GrpcNodeBAddress</c> configured. The gRPC transport treats this
-/// the way the removed Akka path treated "no ClusterClient for site": warn and drop, so the caller's Ask
-/// times out (central never buffers).
+/// <c>GrpcNodeAAddress</c> nor <c>GrpcNodeBAddress</c> configured. <see cref="GrpcSiteTransport"/>
+/// treats this as a known-dead send: it fails the caller's <c>Ask</c> fast with an
+/// <c>Akka.Actor.Status.Failure</c> wrapping this exception (WP1.6) instead of warning and dropping
+/// the message, so the caller does not burn its full Ask timeout on a failure already known at send
+/// time (central still never buffers).
 /// </summary>
 public sealed class SiteChannelUnavailableException(string siteId)
     : Exception($"No gRPC channel is configured for site '{siteId}'.")
diff --git a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Communication.Tests/GrpcSiteTransportFailFastTests.cs b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Communication.Tests/GrpcSiteTransportFailFastTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fb934e0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Communication.Tests/GrpcSiteTransportFailFastTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+using System.Diagnostics;
+using Akka.Actor;
+using Akka.TestKit.Xunit2;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging.Abstractions;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.Options;
+using ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Commons.Messages.Lifecycle;
+using ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Communication.Grpc;
+
+namespace ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Communication.Tests;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// WP1.6: a send to a site with no configured gRPC channel must fail the caller's Ask immediately
+/// (<see cref="Status.Failure"/> wrapping <see cref="SiteChannelUnavailableException"/>) instead of
+/// warning-and-dropping the message and leaving the Ask to expire at its full timeout.
+/// </summary>
+public class GrpcSiteTransportFailFastTests : TestKit
+{
+    private static readonly CommunicationOptions Opts = new()
+    {
+        DeploymentTimeout = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(120),
+        LifecycleTimeout = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30),
+        ArtifactDeploymentTimeout = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(60),
+        QueryTimeout = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30),
+        IntegrationTimeout = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30),
+        DebugViewTimeout = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10)
+    };
+
+    private static GrpcSiteTransport BuildTransport() => new(
+        new SitePairChannelProvider(
+            new NoKeyProvider(), Options.Create(Opts), NullLogger<SitePairChannelProvider>.Instance),
+        Opts,
+        NullLogger<GrpcSiteTransport>.Instance);
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void Send_ToUnconfiguredSite_FaultsTheAskFastInsteadOfTimingOut()
+    {
+        // No ReconcileSites/UpdateSite call was ever made for this site — exactly the "unknown
+        // site" shape SitePairChannelProvider throws SiteChannelUnavailableException for.
+        var transport = BuildTransport();
+        var probe = CreateTestProbe();
+        var envelope = new SiteEnvelope(
+            "unconfigured-site",
+            new EnableInstanceCommand("cmd-1", "Site1.Pump1", DateTimeOffset.UtcNow));
+
+        var stopwatch = Stopwatch.StartNew();
+        transport.Send(envelope, probe.Ref);
+
+        // The old warn-and-drop behavior would leave the caller silent until its own Ask timeout
+        // (30s in production). Well under 1s here proves the fail-fast path, not a lucky race.
+        var failure = probe.ExpectMsg<Status.Failure>(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1));
+        stopwatch.Stop();
+
+        Assert.True(stopwatch.Elapsed < TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1),
+            $"expected the Ask to fault well under 1s; took {stopwatch.Elapsed}");
+        var cause = Assert.IsType<SiteChannelUnavailableException>(failure.Cause);
+        Assert.Equal("unconfigured-site", cause.SiteId);
+        Assert.Contains("unconfigured-site", cause.Message);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Ask_AgainstUnconfiguredSite_CompletesFaultedFastViaTellStatusFailure()
+    {
+        // Mirrors how CommunicationService actually calls this seam: Ask a temp actor, transport
+        // Tells it back. Proves the fail-fast reply satisfies a real Akka Ask, not just a TestProbe.
+        var transport = BuildTransport();
+        var askActor = Sys.ActorOf(Props.Create(() => new EchoingAskTarget(transport)));
+
+        var stopwatch = Stopwatch.StartNew();
+        var ex = await Assert.ThrowsAsync<SiteChannelUnavailableException>(async () =>
+            await askActor.Ask<object>(
+                new SiteEnvelope("unconfigured-site", new EnableInstanceCommand(
+                    "cmd-1", "Site1.Pump1", DateTimeOffset.UtcNow)),
+                TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30)));
+        stopwatch.Stop();
+
+        Assert.Equal("unconfigured-site", ex.SiteId);
+        Assert.True(stopwatch.Elapsed < TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1),
+            $"expected the Ask to fault well under the 30s timeout; took {stopwatch.Elapsed}");
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>Relays an Ask into the transport, exactly as <c>CentralCommunicationActor</c> does.</summary>
+    private sealed class EchoingAskTarget : ReceiveActor
+    {
+        public EchoingAskTarget(GrpcSiteTransport transport)
+        {
+            Receive<SiteEnvelope>(env => transport.Send(env, Sender));
+        }
+    }
+
+    private sealed class NoKeyProvider : ISitePskProvider
+    {
+        public ValueTask<string> GetAsync(string siteId, CancellationToken ct) => new("k");
+        public void Invalidate(string siteId) { }
+    }
+}