U.S. Navy awards Zone 5 Technologies contract for Rusty Dagger missile

The U.S. Navy has awarded a $65 million contract to Zone 5 Technologies to develop a maritime strike variant of the AGM-188 Rusty Dagger cruise missile. This agreement is part of the Coalition Heterogeneous Affordable Offensive Strike (CHAOS) program, which aims to provide modular, low-cost, and scalable precision-strike weapons for the United States and its allied partners.

Zone 5 Technologies, a subsidiary of Kongsberg, will design, build, test, and deliver the CHAOS variant. The Rusty Dagger is noted for being combat-proven, having already seen use in highly contested airspace in Ukraine. This real-world testing provides a developmental advantage over competitors like CoAspire, whose RAACM-ER missile was the recipient of the first CHAOS program contract.

The CHAOS program is designed to address capability gaps caused by advanced area denial systems and supply chain limitations. By focusing on affordable, mass-producible munitions, the Navy seeks to ensure both domestic readiness and the ability to bolster the maritime strike capabilities of international partners through Foreign Military Sales.