US firm Covenant is betting on a new long-range, heavy-payload missile that can bring massed precision strikes deeper into enemy territory.
Known as Anthem, the ground-launched cruise missile has a reported range of 750 miles (1,207 kilometers) and can carry a payload weighing more than 200 kilograms (441 pounds).
According to Reuters, the weapon is intended to complement Raytheon’s Tomahawk cruise missile and Lockheed Martin’s Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range.
Anthem uses a solid rocket motor during launch before switching to a heavy-fuel jet engine for cruise flight.
Other details remain undisclosed, though available imagery suggests its airframe features a cylindrical fuselage that tapers toward the nose.
“When you look at our adversaries, you see thousands of hardened targets beyond the range of current capabilities,” said Michael Kaufman, co-founder and chief executive officer of Covenant.
“Anthem was built to credibly hold those targets at risk in a prolonged conflict. If our stockpiles run thin, so does our deterrence.”
Stress-Testing the Missile
Anthem has logged more than 200 flights since its maiden flight in 2025, including several tests with the US Army in the US and overseas.
The trials have pushed individual components and the complete system to their limits under varying conditions.
The missile is now undergoing accelerated testing and qualification under an Other Transaction Agreement with the US Army.
A separate contract with the US Navy’s Rapid Capabilities Office covers the development of a maritime variant.
Path to 5,000 Units Annually
Covenant has raised more than $250 million across three funding rounds led by Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, Lux, 8VC, Aleph, and Lightspeed.
The company has also secured $150 million in orders covering qualification, research and development, and several production contracts.
Serial production of Anthem is scheduled to begin in early 2027 at a new 105,000-square-foot (9,754-square-meter) facility in Texas, with annual output expected to reach 5,000 missiles.
