Eyeing the Pacific, Lockheed unveils low-cost $150,000 cruise missile

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin plans to unveil a caller "affordable" cruise rocket connected Monday with a outgo of astir $150,000 and a scope of implicit 500 miles (800 km) arsenic the defence contractor works to pat a U.S. request to deter Chinese ambitions successful the Pacific.

Russia's penetration of Ukraine has pushed U.S. and different countries' reasoning astir armaments toward a caller strategy known arsenic "affordable mass," meaning having plentifulness of comparatively inexpensive weapons astatine the ready.

The Common Multi-Mission Truck (CMMT) rocket conception is simply a caller merchandise that aims to make a household of low-cost modular weapons from Lockheed and its partners' existing catalog of components.

The CMMT rocket is designed to capable a spread betwixt lower-cost standoff glide weapons and much costly cruise missiles, Scott Callaway, Director, Affordable Mass, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control told Reuters successful a caller interview.

If the Pentagon decides to bargain the caller offering, Callaway said Lockheed could marque 2,500 a twelvemonth - erstwhile a accumulation enactment was running.

CMMT is "a subsonic, low-cost, long-range cruise missile," Callaway said. Its low-cost turbine engines cannot, however, vie with cruise missiles specified arsenic Lockheed's AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile.

The JASSM is simply a 1,000-pound rocket costing implicit $1.5 cardinal per item.

The concern standard of the warfare successful Ukraine has highlighted the necessity for deeper inventories of comparatively inexpensive weapons.

CMMT is designed to beryllium modular, allowing for divers variants to conscionable assorted ngo requirements.

These see a longer-range mentation - deployable from craft similar the C-17, fighters and bombers - arsenic good arsenic a shorter-range version.

A maritime onslaught variant is besides envisioned, perchance to beryllium employed successful swarms with varying seeker mechanisms for greater effectiveness.

Callaway said Lockheed Martin was aiming to merchantability the basal aerial conveyance for $150,000 per unit, which it considered competitive.

The United States is amassing an arsenal of abundant and easily-made anti-ship weapons arsenic portion of efforts to propulsion backmost against Chinese assertiveness successful the Indo-Pacific region.

(Reporting by Mike Stone successful Washington; Editing by Kevin Liffey)