The US Navy has selected CoAspire's rapidly adaptable affordable cruise missile-extended range (RAACM-ER) ground-launched variant for its new Coalition Heterogenous Affordable Offensive Strike (CHAOS) program.
Under a US$70 million prototype other transactional agreement with CMG Networks on behalf of Naval Aviation Systems Consortium, CoAspire will design, build, test, and deliver a ground-launched, mid-range cruise missile system that can attack both land-based and moving maritime targets.
CoAspire said the end-use foreign military sale customers are US allies and coalition partners needing an affordable yet highly effective maritime strike weapon that can be easily manufactured at scale.
CoAspire's solution uses the RAACM-ER, combined with a booster and launcher system, to create the RAACM-ER ground-launched variant. This variant, which will be adapted for the specific requirements of CHAOS, is comparable to the RAACM‑ER GHOST variant used in the US Army PAE Fires-funded Low-Cost Containerised Munition program.
CoAspire's RAACM family of affordable cruise missiles offer multiple variants to support air, surface, and ground-launch solutions. The RAACM-ER utilises additive manufacturing to allow for maximum payload capacity.
The manufacturer said an additive approach will also allow for rapid modifications and a reduction in tooling and touch labor, which results in cost reductions and program improvements without breaking a production line for re-tooling. It will also allow for the development of new variants in months compared to years needed by other missile manufacturing methods.