America’s Cheap-Missile Strategy Takes Shape: FAMM Enters Production as Kongsberg Buys Zone 5
The Family of Affordable Mass Munitions is “on track to start production” this fall, Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach said, as reported by DefenseScoop. A thousand weapons are funded in 2026; the FY27 request seeks $300 million for up to 1,000 all-up rounds plus capacity expansion, and $55 million for the extended-range FAMM-BAR variant — scaling to about 28,000 weapons over five years.
The same day, Army Recognition reported Kongsberg completed its acquisition of California’s Zone 5 Technologies, one of FAMM’s three prime vendors. Per the company’s official statement, the stake is 90 percent, with founder-CEO Thomas Akers and his team staying on as owners of the remainder.
- FAMM production start: September 2026 — vendors Anduril, CoAspire, Zone 5
- Target: 1,000 weapons in 2026, ~28,000 over five years
- FY27 request: $300M plus $55M for FAMM-BAR
- Kongsberg-Zone 5: 90% stake, closed June 10
- Zone 5: 250+ staff, revenue over $100M in 2025, Rusty Dagger + White Spike
- Kongsberg US footprint: $100M Virginia missile facility, 180+ jobs
Background: From Exquisite Few to Affordable Many
Wilsbach put the doctrine in one sentence: “When you have a lot of them, adversaries will use their exquisite defenses to shoot those weapons down, and eventually we’re going to get some through.” FAMM evolved from the Defense Innovation Unit’s Enterprise Test Vehicle effort — palletized munitions dropped from cargo aircraft — and now spans palletized, lugged and extended-range variants.
Zone 5’s Portfolio and Kongsberg’s Logic
| Product | Class | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Rusty Dagger (AGM-188A) | Compact air-launched cruise missile | ~200 kg, 2.64 m, turbojet, high subsonic, GPS/INS |
| White Spike | Counter-UAS interceptor | Low-cost answer to Group 3+ threats; surface and air launched |
| Paladin | Tactical UAS | Base defense and forward counter-drone |
| ERAM / FAMM work | Affordable missile programs | Prime on FAMM’s lugged variant |
Kongsberg said the deal strengthens its position in US efforts “to field precision weapons at scale, where range and accuracy must be matched by affordability, fast production, and rapid delivery.” The group is already building a $100 million NSM/JSM facility in James City County, Virginia with 180-plus jobs — a week after JSM entered full-rate production for the F-35 fleet.
Why It Matters for Turkey
A 28,000-weapon target is global validation of the affordable-mass architecture Turkey has been building for years. Baykar’s KEMANKEŞ mini smart cruise missile — launched from drones — ROKETSAN’s multi-platform Çakır and Turkey’s loitering munition families are combat-proven products sitting exactly at FAMM’s cost-quantity point. Turkey’s edge is not just unit price but demonstrated production tempo and the ability to sell the drone-missile pairing as a complete concept. And the Kongsberg-Zone 5 template — a major group scaling an agile startup — is the structure the Baykar-TUSAŞ-ROKETSAN ecosystem already runs. As NATO’s munitions mass gap widens, so does the intra-alliance market for these systems.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is FAMM?
What makes Rusty Dagger notable?
What does Kongsberg get?
Bottom Line
A FAMM line spinning up in September and Kongsberg’s Zone 5 close move the cheap-missile debate from conference panels to factory floors. The open question is tempo: roughly 8,000 weapons by FY31 is ambitious — but now funded.
