US to restore depleted stockpiles with cheap mass-produced missiles

The Pentagon has announced plans to acquire more than 10,000 low-cost cruise missiles alongside up to 12,000 inexpensive hypersonic weapons as part of a major push to rebuild US stockpiles after several high-intensity conflicts.

The effort will rely heavily on emerging defense firms rather than traditional contractors, whose sophisticated weapons systems are often criticized for being expensive and slow to produce.

The Department of War said on Wednesday that framework agreements with Anduril, CoAspire, Leidos, and Zone 5 “will launch the Low-Cost Containerized Missles [sic] (LCCM) program.” Reuters first reported details of the initiative hours earlier.

The Pentagon did not clarify exactly what it meant by “containerized” systems. However, promotional materials released by Anduril showed a missile being launched from what resembled a standard commercial shipping container. Such systems could potentially be concealed aboard civilian cargo vessels for discrete transfer and surprise strikes.

Pentagon sidelines arms giants for speed and innovation

According to the Pentagon, all four contractors are expected to begin delivering test missiles in June. Although relatively new players in the arms industry, each has already worked on missile systems.