Affordable Weapons for Large-Scale Production
The U.S.-Israeli startup Covenant has unveiled Anthem, a comparatively low-cost cruise missile. The ground-launched weapon is designed to carry a warhead weighing around 200 kilograms and to be produced in large quantities. It is intended to be used alongside long-range precision weapons.
The experience of recent wars has, according to Covenant, clearly demonstrated the need for affordable attack systems. Defense startups are therefore increasingly developing weapons designed to combine significant effects with comparatively low costs and the ability to be produced rapidly and in large quantities.
One of these companies is defense startup Covenant. After two years of development, the company has unveiled its new Anthem cruise missile. According to Covenant, the weapon will be manufactured primarily in Israel and is intended to be relatively quick and inexpensive to produce in large numbers.
This approach addresses a problem that has recently emerged with inventories of long-range precision weapons: the complex and costly production of such missiles makes it difficult to replenish depleted stocks at short notice.
Anthem Designed for Large-Scale Use
Anthem is designed as a ground-launched cruise missile. According to the company, the weapon can carry a payload of approximately 200 kilograms.
Covenant apparently does not see the missile as a replacement for existing long-range precision weapons, but rather as a complement to them. Anthem is intended to be deployed in larger numbers and to operate in conjunction with other long-range missiles.
The examples cited in the source maerial include Lockheed Martin’s Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) and the Tomahawk cruise missile produced by RTX and its subsidiary Raytheon.
The JASSM-ER has a range of approximately 600 miles, or around 965 kilometers. The Raytheon-produced Tomahawk is specified as having a range of up to 1,000 miles, or approximately 1,609 kilometers.
Production as a Key Factor
The development of Anthem comes at a time when the United States and its allies are seeking to replenish their inventories of long-range precision weapons. According to the source material, these stocks have been strained or depleted by the war in Iran.
Covenant is therefore not focusing solely on the performance of an individual missile. A key part of the concept is the ability to manufacture the weapon rapidly and in large quantities.
With its approximately 200-kilogram warhead and its intended combination with other long-range weapons, Anthem is designed to provide an additional option for precision strikes. Further technical details on the new cruise missile’s range, speed, navigation, or guidance system are not available from the material provided.
Author: Arie Egozi, Israel Correspondent
