What Is a Low-Cost Cruise Missile? Denmark’s Anthem Buy Explained
Denmark’s Ministry of Defence announced on 22 October 2026 that it will buy Covenant’s ground-launched Anthem cruise missile. It announced the purchase alongside Kongsberg’s Joint Strike Missile (JSM) for its F-35s, framing both as long-range precision strike capabilities requested by NATO. The number of missiles, the total price and the delivery schedule were withheld for security reasons.
Last updated: 29 October 2026
Our earlier piece on Denmark’s JSM and Anthem purchase covers the decision in more detail. For this article we went to the Danish Ministry of Defence release of 22 October and to independent coverage. What follows is what holds up.
What is a low-cost cruise missile?
A cruise missile is a winged, jet-powered weapon that flies low and subsonic and steers to its target using inertial and satellite navigation. “Low-cost” is a marketing and procurement label, not a formal category. It usually means a simpler airframe, commercial parts and a production line built for volume, so a force can buy thousands rather than hundreds. The logic is arithmetic: make the attacker’s missiles cheap enough to saturate air defences that cost far more per shot.
A warning on numbers: every price below is a target, an estimate or a press figure from a different year. None is a contract price.
What Denmark bought and what it did not say
The ministry says it is buying two missile types to strengthen national and collective deterrence. JSM will be fired from F-35s; Anthem from land. Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus said the purchase followed the advice of the Chief of Defence. According to Nordic Defence Sector, the government took the decision in principle in September 2025.
The release gives no quantities, values or dates. Independent outlets report that contracts have been signed but the terms are classified. Claims that Denmark ordered a specific number of Anthems are therefore unverified. The War Zone speculates that Denmark could be the unnamed international customer Covenant expects to receive German-built missiles by end-2026; no official source has confirmed that.
What is known about Anthem
Covenant unveiled Anthem on 9 September 2026. Per Reuters it is ground-launched, carries a warhead of more than 200 kg, and uses a solid rocket motor for launch and a heavy-fuel jet engine for cruise. The company says it has flown the missile more than 200 times in the past year and targets a “mid-six-figure” unit price at full-rate production. German agency dpa reports Covenant saying the price is under $1 million. The two statements are compatible; both are goals.
Range is the soft spot. Covenant has published no official figure. The War Zone cites unconfirmed reports of about 1,200 km; other outlets say up to 1,500 km. Treat both as unofficial.
Covenant was founded in 2024 and, per Reuters, has raised about $250 million and booked about $150 million in orders, with revenue expected from 2027. Planned output is 5,000 a year in Texas, a similar capacity near Leipzig, and 2,000 a year at a smaller site in northern Israel. The Leipzig plant opened in early October; serial production is slated for 2027, with 1,000 missiles in year one and 5,000 in 2028. Those are company targets, not deliveries.
Germany: talks, not an order
The German defence ministry has confirmed talks with Covenant; no order has been announced. On 9 October, Army chief Christian Freuding said the Army will get low-cost cruise missiles for mass use against targets roughly 1,500 km deep, that the decision is made, and that first deliveries from 2027 are possible (dpa). He named no candidates. dpa says two off-the-shelf systems are in focus and still need qualification for the Bundeswehr; it does not establish that Anthem is one of them. Reports based on Politico mention Ukraine’s Flamingo and Bars missiles as other options. No selection has been made public.
Comparable programmes: the US and Ukraine
- ERAM (Extended Range Attack Munition): a US Air Force effort, with an RFI in January 2024 and an RFP in July 2024. US press reported approval of roughly 3,350 missiles for Ukraine in a package of $825-850 million. That figure may include spares and support, so dividing it into a unit price would mislead. US officials put range between about 241 and 450 km.
- Barracuda-500M (Anduril): the US Army signed a framework deal for at least 3,000 missiles, with deliveries from 2027; the value has not been released. Anduril’s 2024 target was $150,000 a unit, which is a goal rather than a verified cost.
- FAMM: the Air Force’s low-cost family, reported to have entered production in September 2026. See our FAMM and Zone 5 report.
- Ukraine’s Flamingo (Fire Point): media cite roughly $500,000 per round and a warhead near one tonne. These are producer and press claims with limited independent confirmation.
The Turkish angle: ÇAKIR shares the logic, not the class
Roketsan’s ÇAKIR has a range above 150 km and a 70 kg warhead, a tier below Anthem. It is not a direct competitor; it follows the same idea of a cheaper, serially produced cruise missile that can be launched from several platforms. Army Recognition reported serial production from July 2024. In October 2026 the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) and Roketsan signed a supply contract for the land-launched ÇAKIR, with SSB head Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün and Roketsan General Manager Murat İkinci at the signing. A solid-fuel booster lets it fire from the existing KARA ATMACA launcher. Value, quantity and schedule were not disclosed. More in our ÇAKIR ground-launch report and ÇAKIR vs NSM.
| Criterion | Anthem (Covenant) | Barracuda-500M (Anduril) | ÇAKIR (Roketsan) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Range | No official figure; 1,200-1,500 km claims | Not verified here | 150+ km, 70 kg warhead |
| Cost | Target: mid-six-figure / under $1M (company) | Target $150,000 (2024); contract value undisclosed | No published figure |
| Production / delivery | Leipzig serial production targeted for 2027 | US Army deliveries from 2027 | Serial production reported since July 2024 |
| Local production | US, Germany, Israel sites | US | Roketsan prime; about 200 suppliers; Kale KTJ-1750 engine |
The comparison should not be pushed too far: ÇAKIR’s shorter range and smaller warhead suit a different job, and its land version reuses KARA ATMACA launchers (range 280 km).
Reading the headlines
- Prices are targets and press claims; year, exchange rate and scope (spares, launchers, support) change a unit cost.
- Orders, deliveries and active inventory are different things. No delivered Anthem inventory has been reported.
- Some claims, such as the “95 percent European components” figure, could not be confirmed independently, so we left them out.
FAQ
What is a low-cost cruise missile?
A cruise missile built simply and in volume so that its unit cost is far below traditional designs. There is no formal definition or price threshold.
What is Anthem’s range?
Covenant has not published one. Unconfirmed reports say about 1,200 km, with some outlets citing up to 1,500 km.
How many Anthem missiles is Denmark buying?
Not disclosed. The Danish ministry withheld quantity, price and delivery dates.
Does Turkey have a low-cost cruise missile?
Roketsan’s ÇAKIR follows that logic but sits in a shorter-range class at 150+ km. A contract for its land-launched version was signed in October 2026.
Sources
- Danish Ministry of Defence (FMN), release of 22 October 2026: fmn.dk
- Reuters via Internazionale, Covenant Anthem unveiling, 9 September 2026: internazionale.it
- The War Zone: twz.com
- Nordic Defence Sector: nordicdefencesector.com
- Defense News on German talks with Covenant: defensenews.com
- dpa via infranken.de, Freuding remarks, 9 October 2026: infranken.de
- The Aviationist on ERAM: theaviationist.com
- Defense News on the Barracuda-500M Army deal: defensenews.com
- Army Recognition on ÇAKIR serial production: armyrecognition.com
