The Department of War announced CoAspire’s inclusion in the framework agreement as part of efforts to accelerate the delivery of high-volume strike systems for the Joint Force. The programme seeks to establish a repeatable production pathway for affordable kinetic capabilities at scale while broadening participation among non-traditional defence suppliers.
CoAspire’s GHOST missile is a boosted, ground-launched variant of the company’s Rapidly Adaptable Affordable Cruise Missile-Extended Range system. According to the company, the missile uses additive manufacturing methods intended to shorten development timelines and lower production costs compared with conventional cruise missile programmes.
Doug Denneny, chief executive officer of CoAspire, said: “The inclusion of CoAspire’s GHOST missile in this groundbreaking program and framework agreement underscores CoAspire’s potential to revolutionize ground-launched strike capabilities, offering a boosted, extended-range solution that can be deployed across multiple platforms.”
“With GHOST under this framework agreement and Other Transactional Authority (OTA) agreements, we are excited to support the Department’s ambitious goal to affordably procure thousands of LCCMs in just three years, beginning in FY27, thereby accelerating the delivery of vital defense assets,” Denneny added.
The framework agreement initiates a competitive experimentation and assessment phase involving four prime contractors competing under the Low-Cost Containerized Munitions programme. According to CoAspire, the initiative is expected to support the procurement of approximately 10,000 missiles over a three-year period beginning in fiscal year 2027, with fixed production costs planned for calendar years 2027 through 2029.
The programme is being coordinated by multiple U.S. defence organisations, including the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering, the Army Program Acquisition Executive Fires, the U.S. Air Force Program Acquisition Executive Weapons, the Test Resource Management Center and the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment.
As part of the programme’s assessment phase, the Department of War plans to procure test missiles from CoAspire. The company stated that the GHOST missile is scheduled to conduct flight testing later this year, a milestone intended to demonstrate the advantages of additive manufacturing in reducing development timelines from years to months.
According to CoAspire, the agreement reflects broader Department of War efforts to expand the defence industrial base and increase participation from emerging suppliers capable of producing affordable strike systems at scale. The company said its cruise missile family is designed to support air-, surface- and ground-launched missions over long distances while maintaining lower production costs than traditional missile systems.
