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.

Anduril said it plans to supply its Barracuda-500M cruise missile, with at least 1,000 units scheduled for delivery over the next three years.

Leidos announced that its contribution would be based on the AGM-190A Small Cruise Missile design, though modified into a larger variant for the LCCM program.

CoAspire and Zone 5 previously participated in the US Air Force’s Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) initiative, launched in 2024 to support Ukraine’s military campaign against Russia.

In a separate arrangement, the Pentagon said it had signed a deal with startup Castelion to procure at least 500 Blackbeard hypersonic missiles over the next two years. Officials added that they are seeking additional funding to expand the program to 12,000 units over five years.

The Blackbeard system is designed for deployment from HIMARS rocket launchers or a future unmanned launcher platform currently under development. Although marketed as a low-cost hypersonic weapon, its exact price has not been disclosed.

The programs reportedly reflect growing frustration with the conventional defense procurement model, under which established weapons manufacturers often spend years developing systems plagued by delays and cost overruns. The Department of War views venture-backed startups as capable of delivering faster production and innovation.

Filling arsenal for a possible Taiwan conflict

Years spent arming Ukraine combined with major operations against Iran in 2025 and 2026, have exposed weaknesses in America’s defense manufacturing capacity.

The latest campaign against Tehran in particular reportedly consumed large quantities of key munitions, including Tomahawk cruise missiles and ballistic Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM).

Military planners have closely studied the effectiveness of low-cost attack drones in both conflicts. Cheap long-range kamikaze systems have repeatedly demonstrated the ability to inflict serious damage at a fraction of the cost of traditional missiles.

The US Air Force’s Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS), introduced last year, was reportedly developed using technology reverse-engineered from Iran’s Shahed-136 drone.

Pentagon officials believe that combining new inexpensive systems with existing high-cost weapons could better prepare the US for a prolonged conflict against a peer rival such as China, particularly in a possible confrontation over Taiwan.

Trump is currently visiting China on a trip that had been postponed for several weeks because of the unresolved conflict with Iran.

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