# DoD Expands Affordable Missile Procurement

Zone 5 Technologies demonstrated a ground-launched Block 40 Rusty Dagger and said variants have been selected for separate U.S. Army and Navy programs, extending the missile beyond its original air-launched role. The Army-led Low-Cost Containerized Missile program has framework agreements with Zone 5, Anduril, CoAspire, and Leidos and aims to procure more than 10,000 low-cost cruise missiles over three years, with procurement planned to begin in 2027. The Navy’s CHAOS effort and the Air Force’s plan for 28,000 Family of Affordable Mass Missiles (FAMM) munitions add to federal demand for affordable weapons at scale.

- The Army framework agreements establish a supplier group ahead of planned 2027 procurement. Companies pursuing this market should assess how their offerings address low-cost production, containerized launch, and the program’s volume goals.
- The Navy’s CHAOS effort is a separate opportunity; CoAspire is on contract with its RAACM-ER design. Zone 5 says Rusty Dagger variants were selected for separate Army and Navy programs, but the signals do not identify specific award values or contract terms.
- The Air Force’s 28,000-munition FAMM plan signals additional demand across pylon-launched and palletized weapons. Contractors may find opportunities to compete in related affordable-munitions programs, while production capacity will be important as procurement scales.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military
**Topics:** Contracting Vehicles
**Published:** October 22, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Army Portfolio Acquisition Executive Fires (PAE Fires)
- Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering (OUSW R&E)
- U.S. Navy Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Munitions (PAE Munitions)
- U.S. Air Force (USAF)
- U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)

### Vendors
- Zone 5 Technologies (Missile developer and Low-Cost Containerized Missile framework agreement recipient)
- CoAspire (Low-Cost Containerized Missile framework agreement recipient and CHAOS contractor)
- Anduril (Low-Cost Containerized Missile framework agreement recipient)
- Leidos (Low-Cost Containerized Missile framework agreement recipient)
- Kongsberg (90 percent owner of Zone 5 Technologies)

### Key Quotes
> Our team went from design to demonstration in less than three months, bringing Rusty Dagger from pylons and pallets to ground launcher and shipping containers,
> — Kyle Maxhimer, President of Zone 5 Technologies

> We designed a surface-launch Rusty Dagger to be the foundation of U.S. and allied mass-produced affordable precision deep strike weapons,
> — Tom Kanewske, Chief Strategy Officer at Zone 5 Technologies

### Sources
- [Ground-Launched Rusty Dagger Low-Cost Cruise Missile Seen For The First Time](https://www.twz.com/sea/ground-launched-rusty-dagger-low-cost-cruise-missile-seen-for-the-first-time) - TWZ