US Navy awards Zone 5 Technologies 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 the CHAOS effort, which aims to deliver modular, surface-launched cruise missiles to U.S. and allied partners. The Rusty Dagger, designated AGM-188A, has been battle-tested in Ukraine, where it demonstrated extreme precision and high survival rates against advanced Russian air defenses. This gives Zone 5 a significant advantage over competitors like CoAspire and Anduril. The missile is already in production for Ukraine's Air Force and is considered a production-ready asset for the U.S. Navy, which seeks to rapidly replenish stocks after high expenditures in Iran. The program aligns with the Pentagon's push for low-cost, high-capacity strike weapons.