A statement seen by Reuters ahead of its ‌release said that the Pentagon’s agreements are with Anduril, CoAspire, Leidos and Zone 5, and will together launch the “Low‑Cost Containerised Munitions (LCCM) programme.”

The assessment phase of the programme will involve purchasing test ​missiles from all four companies starting in June 2026. The statement ​did not provide a cost or specify the weapons systems from ⁠the four firms, but said the agreements established the terms for future firm-fixed-price ​production contracts.

The Army has long touted containerised weapons systems as a low-cost, mobile way ​to deploy missiles in standard shipping containers.

A separate agreement with defence startup Castelion lays out a plan to award a two-year contract for a minimum annual purchase of 500 Blackbeard missiles, ​which are Castelion’s first hypersonic strike weapon. Once Castelion achieves testing and validation, the ​statement said.

It said the Pentagon was seeking authorisations and appropriations to purchase over 12,000 Blackbeard ‌missiles over ⁠five years.

Michael Duffey, who as under secretary of defence for acquisition and sustainment is the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer, said in the statement that the agreements show how the US is moving beyond traditional “prime” contractors to expand the industrial base.

The agreements, ​he added, send “a clear, ​long-term demand signal ⁠to innovative new entrants.”

Emil Michael, under secretary of defence for research and engineering, said the agreements commit the firms to ​on-time, on-cost delivery.

“We will deliver affordable mass for our warfighters ​at unprecedented ⁠speed,” Michael said in the statement.

The Pentagon is ramping up its requests from Congress for funding for munitions, which are in high demand with the ongoing war in Iran.

General ⁠Dan ​Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ​said in written testimony this week that the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2027 budget would fund over $26 billion ​for multi-year procurement contracts for critical munitions.