Nov 12, 2025 - Technology

Air Force wants industry ideas for $500,000 missile

Colin Demarest

Illustration of a dotted white line in the shape of a missile flying in the sky with a plume of smoke behind it. — Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios

The U.S. Air Force is mulling a future anti-air weapon that should cost less than $500,000 when mass produced.

The big picture: While the Counter-Air Missile Program is very much in its infancy, the service has identified a need to "trade exquisite capabilities for affordability and producibility."

Munition and interception costs have been heavily debated in the wake of recent Middle East exchanges, including with Iran and Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Drones can cost thousands of dollars. Using multimillion-dollar missiles — among other costly countermeasures — to blast them is unsustainable.

State of play: CAMP will begin with ground launches and provide "a viable pathway to a low-cost air-to-air missile," according to documents posted Nov. 7.

As many as 3,500 could be sought annually during full-rate production.

Flashback: The Air Force and Defense Innovation Unit this year picked Anduril Industries and Zone 5 Technologies to move forward on the Enterprise Test Vehicle project.

Other competitors included Integrated Solutions for Systems and Leidos Dynetics.

Go deeper: AeroVironment nabs $96 million for counter-drone Freedom Eagle missile

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Air Force wants industry ideas for $500,000 missile

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