Image: Anduril Industries
The Department of War has signed framework agreements with Anduril, CoAspire and Zone 5. The deals will speed up testing of a new family of low-cost, air-launched cruise missiles, according to a Department of War statement.
A New Approach to Missile Production
The agreements support the Family of Affordable Mass Missiles (FAMM) programme for the Air Force. They stem from the Department’s Acquisition Transformation Strategy, which aims to stabilise demand, back industry-led solutions and use flexible contracting.
Michael P. Duffey, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment, commented that the “Arsenal of Freedom” needs a different way of doing business. He added that the deals will expand the industrial base and speed up delivery of new capabilities.
Seven-Year Contracts on the Table
The Department will award seven-year, multi-year contracts once vendors pass validation and a competitive selection process. This depends on congressional approval, which the Department is now seeking through the FY27 NDAA. Congress already granted five-year authorisation for FAMM in the FY26 NDAA.
FAMM will offer lugged and palletised missile variants, giving the Air Force more flexibility in logistics and deployment. A single competition will cover both types.
Rewarding Speed and Efficiency
The Department will use firm-fixed-price contracts with a minimum quantity floor, splitting production across qualified vendors. Contractors that meet or beat schedules can win additional orders, subject to funding.
FAMM builds on the Department’s Low-Cost Containerized Missiles programme, the ground-launched counterpart to this air-launched effort. Together, the two programmes aim to deliver low-cost munitions at scale for future conflicts.
Read more on the U.S. DoW website












