Israel Evaluates Low-Cost Cruise Missiles as Defense Exports Expand
Israel's Ministry of Defense is evaluating low-cost cruise missiles from US startup Covenant, while IAI negotiates naval air defense sales with Peru and Canada deploys Elbit drones to the Arctic.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense is examining the potential procurement of low-cost cruise missiles developed by Covenant, a US-based defense startup founded by entrepreneur Michael Kaufman. According to Defense Blog reports, Ministry Director-General Amir Baram visited the company's facilities last week to evaluate the systems.
Covenant operates R&D centers in Israel alongside manufacturing plants in Texas and Germany. The company's flagship product, the Anthem ground-launched cruise missile, is designed for mass production in the thousands, significantly reducing unit costs compared to legacy systems such as the Tomahawk. The startup emerged from stealth on September 9 after securing over $250 million in funding from prominent venture capital firms including Aleph, Lux Capital, and 8VC. While the missile has undergone more than 200 tests, it has not yet seen operational use.
In a separate development in Latin America, state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is in discussions with Peru regarding the potential integration of the naval variant of the Barak MX air defense system. According to reports from the South American defense portal ZM, a delegation from the Peruvian Ministry of Defense recently visited IAI facilities as part of efforts to equip new multi-role frigates currently under construction at Peru's SIMA shipyards.
The Barak MX system supports various radars and launchers, accommodating interceptors such as the Barak MRAD with a range of up to 35 kilometers, the Barak LRAD covering up to 70 kilometers, and the long-range Barak ER capable of reaching targets up to 150 kilometers away. Currently, the Israeli air defense array utilizes the LRAD variant aboard its Sa'ar 6 corvettes.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Coast Guard is preparing to deploy Elbit Systems' Hermes 900 Starliner unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance missions in the Arctic Circle. According to the Canadian news outlet Nunatsiaq News, operational trials began earlier this year at Greenwood in Nova Scotia before the drones were relocated on October 1 to Iqaluit, the capital of Canada's northern Nunavut territory.
The Hermes 900 Starliner is a medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV with an operational range exceeding 1,000 kilometers, designed for maritime and land-based reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, and target acquisition. Canada acquired the platform in 2020 for approximately $36 million per unit, joining more than 20 global customers that have ordered the aircraft since its introduction.
