The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has awarded X-Bow Systems a $10.9-million contract to develop and flight-test its X-Bow Low-Cost Interceptor, designed to provide a cost-effective defense against ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic threats.
X-Bow said producing both the interceptor and its solid rocket motor (SRM) in-house could reduce costs and eliminate reliance on external motor suppliers, helping avoid supply chain bottlenecks.
Awarded under the MDA’s Rapid Response Small Launcher Technology (R2SLT) effort, the contract calls for X-Bow to design, develop, and demonstrate a high-performance SRM through July 2028.
The R2SLT effort supports the MDA’s Low-Cost Interceptor initiative, which seeks to keep interceptor costs as low as $750,000, compared with about $4 million for Patriot PAC-3 interceptors.
In-House SRM Production
The key to X-Bow’s low-cost approach is its ability to design and manufacture the interceptor’s airframe, SRM, and propellant in-house. The New Mexico-based startup said its additive-manufactured solid-propellant process can accelerate SRM development, allowing motors to be designed and built in days rather than months or years.
X-Bow has also recently unveiled an interceptor designed to counter Group 3 drones capable of supersonic flight, which the company says costs less than $100,000 per unit to manufacture.
To Expand SRM Production
More broadly, the contract aims to expand the US SRM industrial base, which the Department of Defense says remains concentrated among two primary manufacturers.
Northrop Grumman and L3Harris’ Aerojet Rocketdyne have long been the dominant suppliers of SRMs for US missiles and interceptors, leaving the Pentagon seeking additional production capacity.
