The United States is looking to rapidly expand its munitions stocks. Thousands of low cost containerised missiles will built a high-low mix. ⬇️
Our Western way of war is not sustainable when the war is long and large. Million dollar missiles with artisan assembly lines and delivery times in years aren’t going to cut it. Anduril sums up the challenge well:
“Long-range precision fires and stand-off strike weapons are fundamental to America’s ability to deter our adversaries, but existing solutions are too expensive, too exquisite, and too hard to produce at scale.”
To combat this challenge The War Zone (TWZ) is reporting that the Pentagon is pushing ahead with plans to procure over 10,000 low cost cruise missiles to expand the arsenal of freedom and broaden the defence industrial base. The four industry partners for the new Low Cost Containerised Missile Program are as follows:
◾CoAspire is bringing their GHOST missile concept
◾Leidos will develop a ground launched version of their AGM-190A
◾Zone 5’s offering could be based on the ‘rusty dagger’ missile
What the US military is chasing is solutions that can be scaled and mass produced rapidly – good not great. The small, the smart and the many – but not just made by the Primes. Expanding expertise, surging supply chains and introducing automation, 3D printing and artificial intelligence to build war ready manufacturing processes. As TWZ states:
“The Pentagon’s focus on ‘disruptive new entrants and commercial innovators,’ rather than any of America’s long-established prime defense contractors, with its newly announced framework deals, is extremely significant in its own right. This is the latest example of a major shift away from awarding high-profile contracts to large legacy providers, helping to diversify the industrial base and promote competition.”
Nothing stopping Australia taking a similar path. Plenty of locations on this island continent and our territory that a containerised missile with ~900km range that costs significantly less than the exquisite missiles already in our arsenals. Fielding a deep magazine that has a high / low mix and a favourable combat calculus will be essential to build credible deterrence.
📷 via Anduril of their Barracuda-500 test launch and articles mentioned are in the comments.