What Happened
Service Seeks Affordable Solutions To Counter Drones And Missiles
The US Army has launched a new prize competition, xTech|Apex Intercept, offering up to $8 million to accelerate the development of low-cost interceptor technologies. The initiative seeks to address the cost imbalance in air defense, where expensive interceptors are often used against low-cost drones. The competition is open to both domestic and foreign businesses, and the US Army aims to evaluate each subsystem separately, retaining ownership of the intellectual property. This approach is part of a broader US effort to develop more affordable air defense solutions, as reported by AeroTime.