The Pentagon believes that such inexpensive weapons will be able to perform tasks previously carried out by much more expensive munitions.
28,000 missiles will be purchased from all suppliers over five years / © Associated Press
The U.S. Air Force is betting on cheap cruise missiles that can be purchased in the thousands.
This is reported by Defense News.
The Pentagon has signed agreements with three companies: Anduril for the Barracuda-500 missile, CoAspire for the “Fast Adapted Affordable Cruise Missile,” and Zone 5 Technologies for the Rusty Dagger missile.
Long-range air-to-surface missiles cost over $1.3 million each. At the same time, the U.S. Air Force wants to acquire new missiles at a significantly lower price – around $218,000 per munition.
Anduril stated that its framework agreement is for seven years, with deliveries beginning in 2027. According to the company, the Air Force intends to purchase up to 8,000 FAMM munitions per year of both variants from all competing suppliers.
According to budget projections, 28,000 missiles will be purchased from all suppliers over five years, amounting to $12.6 billion.
As a reminder, considering the experience of the war in Ukraine, NATO European countries are increasingly emphasizing the need to increase the volume of inexpensive armaments instead of high-tech systems. Experts argue that in modern battlefield conditions, the availability, scalability, and readiness for immediate use of weaponry are more important than its sophistication.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is developing its own ballistic missiles FP-7 and FP-9, which in terms of characteristics resemble the American ATACMS, but will have significant advantages and will be twice as cheap.
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