Zuzanna Gwadera
Quantity, as the saying goes, has a quality all of its own. Multiple countries are now exploring ways to supplement their high-cost precision-strike weapons with systems that lie somewhere between a traditional cruise missile and an uninhabited aerial vehicle (UAV) to help deliver mass. The aim is to provide a similar effect, but at far lower unit cost.
The United States and the United Kingdom are among those exploring options for more affordable extended-range land-attack systems. Alongside their established guided-weapons industries, both countries are also looking at potential new entrants into the sector to meet the requirement.
Cost controlIn June 2024, the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), together with the Air Force Armament Directorate, selected four US companies to design an ‘enterprise test vehicle’ (ETV) capable of delivering a kinetic payload to a range of at least 926 kilometres at a speed of at least 185 km/h. The programme emphasises modularity, affordability and the ability to mass-produce. To this end, the DIU encourages vendors to use commercial off-the-shelf components wherever possible.
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