The US-Israeli startup Covenant has unveiled Anthem, a comparatively affordable cruise missile. The ground-launched weapon is to be produced in large quantities with a warhead of around 200 kilograms and deployed together with long-range precision weapons.
Covenant: Low-cost weapons for large quantities
The experiences of recent wars, according to Covenant, have clearly demonstrated the need for cost-effective attack systems. Defense startups are therefore increasingly developing weapons that aim to combine high impact with relatively low costs and rapid production in larger quantities.
Among these companies is the defense startup Covenant. After two years of development, the company has unveiled its new cruise missile Anthem. According to Covenant, the weapon will be manufactured largely in Israel and can be produced quickly and cost-effectively in large quantities.
This addresses a problem that has recently become evident with stocks of long-range precision weapons: the complex and costly production of such missiles makes it difficult to replenish exhausted stocks quickly.
Anthem for deployment in large quantities
Anthem is designed as a ground-launched cruise missile. The weapon is capable, according to the company, of carrying a payload of about 200 kilograms.
Covenant does not seem to view the missile as a replacement for existing long-range precision weapons, but rather as a complement. Anthem is to be deployed in larger quantities and to interact with other long-range missiles.
As examples, the briefing cites Lockheed Martin’s Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) and RTX’s Tomahawk cruise missile, through its subsidiary Raytheon.
JASSM-ER has a range of around 600 miles, or about 965 kilometers. The Tomahawk, produced by Raytheon, is stated to have a range of up to 1,000 miles, or about 1,609 kilometers.
Production as a decisive factor
The development of Anthem comes at a time when the United States and its allies are trying to replenish their stocks of long-range precision weapons. According to the briefing, these stocks have been strained or depleted by the war in Iran.
Covenant therefore does not rely solely on the performance of a single missile. A key part of the concept is rather the ability to manufacture the weapon quickly and in large quantities.
With its 200-kilogram warhead and the planned integration with other long-range weapons, Anthem is intended to provide an additional option for precision strikes. No further technical details regarding range, speed, navigation, or guidance of the new cruise missile are available in the material provided.
Author: Arie Egozi, Israel Correspondent
