U.S. Navy awards Zone 5 contract for combat-proven Rusty Dagger cruise missile

Published Aug 21, 04:23 AM UTC

The U.S. Navy has awarded Zone 5 Technologies, a Kongsberg company, a contract to produce its combat-proven Rusty Dagger low-cost cruise missile for the Coalition Heterogeneous Affordable Offensive Strike (CHAOS) program. Announced on August 21, 2026, this is the second contract under CHAOS, which aims to deliver modular, surface-launched cruise missiles to U.S. and allied partners. Unlike competitor CoAspire's RAACM-ER, Rusty Dagger (AGM-188A) has been battle-tested in contested Russian airspace during the Ukraine conflict, demonstrating extreme precision and high survival rates against advanced air defenses. The missile is already in production for Ukraine's Air Force and is also used in the U.S. Air Force's Extended Range Attack Munition program. The CHAOS program is part of a Pentagon push for low-cost, high-capacity strike weapons, with thousands of new cruise missiles expected in coming years. Zone 5 CEO Thomas Akers expressed excitement about delivering immediate capability to U.S. warfighters and allies.