Overview
- The Defense Department, in agreements announced Wednesday, tapped Anduril, CoAspire, Leidos and Zone 5 for low-cost cruise missiles starting in 2027 and set a parallel path with Castelion for a hypersonic weapon pending tests.
- The Pentagon will buy test rounds from all four cruise‑missile vendors in June 2026 as it locks in firm‑fixed material prices for production lots planned for 2027 through 2029.
- Leidos will deliver an initial 3,000 Low‑Cost Containerized Munitions based on its Small Cruise Missile work and will add jobs by expanding plants in Huntsville, Alabama, and McEwen, Tennessee.
- Anduril committed to supply at least 1,000 surface‑launched Barracuda‑500M rounds each year for three years, with first deliveries slated for the first half of 2027.
- Officials framed the effort as part of an “Arsenal of Freedom” push to build cheap mass for long wars, using firm pricing and long‑term demand signals to draw private investment and speed factory build‑outs.