Defense startup Covenant has unveiled the Anthem, a ground-launched cruise missile designed for rapid mass production at a relatively low cost. Powered by a solid rocket motor for launch and a heavy-fuel jet engine for cruise flight, the weapon carries a payload exceeding 200 kg and has completed more than 200 test flights over the past year.
Co-founder and CEO Michael Kaufman noted that the platform was developed to challenge high-cost, low-volume weapons built by traditional defense contractors. Company leadership emphasized that the missile was engineered with an eye toward operations in the Pacific, intended to provide ground-launched strikes from allied positions without relying on manned aircraft or naval strike groups, as reported by Reuters.
The company is targeting a mid-six-figure price per unit at full-rate production, backed by roughly $150 million in booked orders and expected revenue generation in 2027. International deliveries from a facility in Saxony, Germany, are scheduled to begin by the end of this year, followed by U.S. Army deliveries in 2027. To mitigate supply chain bottlenecks, Covenant secured multiple solid-rocket-motor providers and long-term agreements for more than 4,000 jet engines, supporting production capacities across facilities in Dallas, Germany, and Israel
