{"id":4292,"date":"2026-07-16T13:36:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T13:36:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=4292"},"modified":"2026-07-16T13:36:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T13:36:43","slug":"pentagons-new-low-cost-cruise-missile-push-includes-contract-for-cargo-plane-capable-weapons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=4292","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon\u2019s new low-cost cruise missile push includes contract for cargo-plane-capable weapons"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Pentagon has announced new agreements with three defense companies to mass-produce more affordable air-to-ground cruise missiles, including a set capable of being launched out of the back of cargo planes.<\/p>\n

Read more Iran threatens Persian Gulf-nation infrastructure as U.S. continues attacks<\/a><\/p>\n

The deals are part of a push for what military officials are calling the \u201cFamily of Affordable Mass Missiles,\u201d or FAMMs, and fit within a wider Trump administration effort to show how the Pentagon is now \u201cdoing business differently,\u201d according to Under Secretary of War Michael P. Duffey.<\/p>\n

Mr. Duffey, who is responsible for the Pentagon\u2019s acquisition and sustainment arm, said in a statement on Wednesday that new agreements undergird the administration\u2019s push to build an \u201cArsenal of Freedom of the 21st Century.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s announcement showcases the Acquisition Transformation Strategy in action, expanding the defense industrial base, fielding capabilities faster, and attracting private investment to fund innovation and increase manufacturing output,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Defense industry sources say the FAMMs are designed to fall into two categories for use by the U.S. Air Force.<\/p>\n

One design is meant to be used in a more traditional way, attaching directly with launch points already on an aircraft. The other is meant to be used with cargo planes, effectively dropping a pallet out of the rear ramp without having to modify the plane.<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n

SEE ALSO: Meet the wealthy new investor taking equity stakes in defense companies: The Pentagon<\/p>\n

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The missiles will offer a greater utility to the Air Force, including \u201cflexible logistics, handling, and deployment options\u201d according to a Pentagon press release.<\/p>\n

The need for high-volume, low-cost tools has driven military producers to design missiles that can be mass produced quickly and act more like a rocket propelled, one-way attack drone than a traditional cruise missile.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the push for systems that cost less and can be treated more like traditional ammunition than expensive technology is fueling U.S. government investment and contracts across the industry.<\/p>\n

While the Pentagon\u2019s release did not mention any specific missiles, it said the new agreements are with CoAspire, a Virginia based aerospace company, and the California-based companies Anduril Industries and Zone 5.<\/p>\n

Read more Documents reveal Chinese plan to destroy Starlink satellites<\/a><\/p>\n

In its own press release, Andruil pointed to its Barracuda-500 as the main weapon involved in the contract. The company said it has invested \u201cmore than $40 million\u201d into a California production facility that will build the systems.<\/p>\n

Production will then shift to the new hyper-scale facility in Columbus, Ohio, called Arsenal-1, later this year, Anduril said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe completed the first successful flight test of Pallet-Launched Barracuda-500M in September 2024 and have since conducted dozens of successful flight tests,\u201d the company said. That includes autonomous flights and possibly using systems that let AI drive the missiles for the last few hundred yards.<\/p>\n

Anduril has made headlines in recent years by pushing assembly-line style weapons manufacturing. The Barracuda-500 has variants, including a ground-launch variant, with \u201c90% of their parts in common\u201d across the range of missiles, the company said.<\/p>\n

Production isn\u2019t just limited to Anduril.<\/p>\n

CoAspire, which is based in Fairfax, Virginia, is producing its \u201cRapidly Adaptable Affordable Cruise Missile,\u201d or RAACM, as part of the FAMMs program.<\/p>\n

Unlike the Barracuda, the RAACM is meant to compete exclusively as an \u201cair-launched cruise missile,\u201d according to the company\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

Zone 5, meanwhile, is also California-based, but is owned by a foreign business. Norwegian Kongsberg acquired Zone 5 earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Its entrant into the FAMMs program, the \u201cRusty Dagger,\u201d has already been used against targets in Russia, according to Russian reports of an attack in June. The rapidly fielded weapon is styled more like a glide bomb, with a reported range over 285 miles.<\/p>\n

The Pentagon announcement said the deals feature seven-year, fixed minimum quantity agreements, aimed at extending and stabilizing the demand signal for private defense industry production. The deals, which also lock in a current price, have not yet been approved by Congress.<\/p>\n

The Pentagon also said the FAMMs push is key to \u201ca unique model balancing competition, stability and long-term demand signals to scale production\u201d \u2014 a claimed new approach for a U.S. military that has suffered massive overspending on major contracts in the past.<\/p>\n

Read more Zelenskyy\u2019s ouster of defense chief sparks backlash, questions over Ukraine\u2019s wartime government<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Pentagon has announced new agreements with three defense companies to mass-produce more affordable air-to-ground cruise missiles, including a set capable of being launched out of the back of cargo planes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4291,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-security"],"yoast_head":"\nPentagon\u2019s new low-cost cruise missile push includes contract for cargo-plane-capable weapons - Home Buyer Relocation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=4292\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pentagon\u2019s new low-cost cruise missile push includes contract for cargo-plane-capable weapons - 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