Ukraine war drives European demand for bigger, cheaper missile arsenals

European militaries are seeking cheaper missiles and interceptors due to the high consumption rate of weapons in modern conflicts, as seen in Ukraine and the Middle East. According to Douglas Barrie of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, "if you think you have enough cruise missiles in your inventory, you probably don't."

The European defence sector previously focused on producing small quantities of sophisticated weapons, rather than manufacturing on a wartime scale. This has left governments now looking for lower-cost systems that can be fielded in greater numbers alongside advanced weapons from companies such as Lockheed Martin, MBDA, and Rheinmetall.

Industry executives say the challenge is no longer missile design, but building the manufacturing capacity needed to sustain a modern conflict. Markus Schiller of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute noted that "big wars are fought with numbers, not wonder weapons." A new generation of defence startups is emerging to help meet the demand by developing cheaper missiles and interceptors designed for large-scale production.

Brief written by urgent.news from Al-Monitor, Investing.com — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.