The North American defense startup Covenant will begin in early 2027 the mass production of low-cost cruise missiles in Germany, more specifically in Saxony, in the east of the country. The company expects to initially produce one thousand Anthem missiles per year and increase capacity to five thousand units by 2028. The supply chain for the German factory is essentially European, with less than 5% of materials coming from outside Europe.
The company has already secured a contract for the Anthem in Europe and is in negotiations with other potential clients, whose countries have not been identified. The first deliveries of the ground-launched missile are scheduled for early 2027. The price per unit is expected to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, presenting itself as a cheaper alternative to systems such as the Tomahawk, from the American Raytheon.
Covenant is also developing a naval version of the Anthem, with a payload exceeding 200 kilograms, intended to strike land and maritime targets. The CEO of the company, Michael Kaufman, believes that Europe will need tens of thousands of long-range missiles to deter or confront an adversary with an extensive territory, in a context of growing Russian threats against countries of the European bloc.
In July, Germany pressed the United States to allow the production of American weaponry on German soil, to fill deterrence gaps that Washington may leave as it reviews its commitment to the NATO military alliance.
