The conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia have highlighted the critical need for low-cost, long-range weapons that can be deployed against adversaries at scale. The United States is also working to procure such systems following its aerial assault on Iran, which involved Tomahawk and Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) weapons. According to the Washington DC-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), replacing each expended missile costs approximately $2.6 million.
US Pursues Affordable Cruise Missile Solution
The US Department of War has announced a framework agreement with Anduril Industries to rapidly scale production of a new, affordable, and mass-producible cruise missile solution. This system, called the surface-launched Barracuda-500M (SLB-500M), is designed to address the long-range precision fires and stand-off strike challenge. The agreement covers the procurement and delivery of a minimum of 3,000 SLB-500M systems over three years as part of the ground-launched low-cost containerized munition program.
Under the terms, Anduril will scale production to deliver at least 1,000 all-up rounds per year, with the first tranche of deliveries scheduled for the first half of 2027—just one year after the contract award—along with at least 60 launchers. The weapon is an affordable munition that enables high-volume, coordinated, long-range strikes. Equipped with a 100-pound munition payload and offering a range of around 1,000 kilometers, the SLB-500M provides stand-off strike capability effective against a wide range of land and maritime targets in contested environments against a peer or near-peer adversary, believed to be China.
India's Plans for Low-Cost Mass Effects
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has underscored the importance of a robust industrial base capable of churning out weapons at scale to sustain armed forces during a conflict cost-effectively. The Indian Armed Forces are also working to acquire similar low-cost mass effects capabilities. According to a source in the armed forces, these systems will be acquired under the Low Cost Capital Acquisition (LCCA) framework, which will be part of the new Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2026.
The services are planning to acquire drones, rockets, and missile-based systems. Additionally, the army's Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) is developing capabilities to manufacture and sustain a large number of drones. This move aligns with global trends emphasizing affordable, high-volume precision strike capabilities to maintain strategic deterrence and operational effectiveness.
