Pentagon Signs Framework Agreements With Anduril, CoAspire, Leidos and Zone 5 for Low-Cost Cruise Missile Program

The Pentagon reached framework agreements with Anduril, CoAspire, Leidos and Zone 5 that will acquire over 10,000 low-cost cruise missiles over three years beginning in 2027. The agreements, announced on May 13, 2026, launch the Low Cost Containerized Munitions Program, also known as LCCMP or LCCM. Purchases of test missiles from the four companies will begin in June 2026.

Emil Michael, the Pentagon’s CTO and under secretary for Research and Engineering, said the Framework Agreements commit American industry to on-time, on-cost delivery and investment in R&D and facilities. "In concert with establishing a clear demand signal, these Framework Agreements commit American industry to on-time, on-cost delivery and investment in R&D and facilities," Michael stated.

He added that this commercial style of partnership is fully aligned with Secretary Hegseth’s Acquisition Transformation Strategy.

The agreements establish terms for future firm-fixed-price production contracts and include firm-fixed material unit costs for production lots in 2027 through 2029. Several new vendors will reach production scale without direct Department investment.

Anduril will deliver a minimum of 1,000 all-up surface-launched Barracuda-500M (SLB-500M) rounds per year for three years. Anduril’s first tranche of Barracuda-500M deliveries will take place in the first half of 2027. Leidos will provide an initial 3,000 LCCMs modeled after the AGM-190A Small Cruise Missile but approximately twice the size.

Leidos full system design, development and test will result in production beginning in 2027. S. Department of War for the Low-Cost Containerized Munitions (LCCM) program.

CoAspire’s GHOST Affordable Mass Ground Launched Cruise Missile is under contract and will fly this year. CoAspire’s GHOST missile is a boosted, ground-launched variant of the Rapidly Adaptable Affordable Cruise Missile-Extended Range (RAACM-ER). The announcement was made on May 13, 2026.

A separate agreement with Castelion lays out a plan to award a two-year contract for a minimum annual purchase of 500 Blackbeard missiles once testing and validation are achieved. The Pentagon is seeking authorizations and appropriations to purchase over 12,000 Blackbeard missiles over five years. Blackbeard missiles are Castelion’s first hypersonic strike weapon.

The statement did not provide a cost or specify the weapons systems from the four firms. The Pentagon is making a new push to rapidly acquire 10,000 low-cost cruise missiles in three years. The Army has long touted containerized weapons systems as a low-cost, mobile way to deploy missiles in standard shipping containers.

U.S. Air Force wants inexpensive, long-range missiles that can be launched in mass volleys by cargo aircraft.