Covenant to Build Anthem Cruise Missiles in Germany

U.S. defense startup Covenant plans to begin mass production of its Anthem long-range cruise missile in Saxony, Germany, in early 2027, establishing a European production base as NATO countries accelerate investment in long-range strike capabilities. The German facility will initially have an annual production rate of 1,000 missiles, with Covenant targeting a rate of 5,000 per year during 2028. 

The company has already secured its first European contract for Anthem and expects initial deliveries of the ground-launched weapon in 2027, according to Reuters. Covenant has not identified the European customer and is holding discussions with additional potential buyers. 

The Saxony investment gives Covenant a manufacturing presence inside the European defense market at a time when Germany and other NATO members are seeking both larger long-range weapon inventories and greater control over their defense supply chains.

German plant targets 5,000 Anthem missiles annually

Covenant plans to open the German production site with capacity for 1,000 Anthem missiles per year. The facility is designed to support production of 5,000 missiles annually, a rate the company intends to reach or approach during 2028. 

The company is also establishing production capacity in the United States and Israel. Covenant was founded in 2024 by Michael Kaufman and Ofir Dayan and has raised $250 million from investors including Founders Fund and Andreessen Horowitz, according to the Financial Times and Reuters. 

Covenant has secured approximately $150 million in orders, according to Reuters. The company has also reached agreements involving the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy as it prepares Anthem for military qualification and a maritime application. 

Anthem has completed more than 200 test flights. The missile uses a solid rocket motor for launch and a heavy-fuel jet engine during cruise flight, while carrying a payload exceeding 200 kilograms. 

Covenant has not publicly confirmed Anthem's maximum range. German media reports have cited a range of around 1,500 kilometers, but the company has declined to confirm that figure. 

Covenant is building a European Anthem supply chain

The German production plan goes beyond final assembly. More than 95% of the components intended for European Anthem production are sourced in Europe, and Covenant intends to eventually remove remaining non-European components from missiles manufactured for the European market. 

That approach could become commercially significant as European governments place greater emphasis on local production, supply security and sovereign access to critical defense technologies.

Covenant is entering this market with a different production model from traditional long-range precision weapons. The company is positioning Anthem as a missile that can be manufactured in significantly larger quantities while retaining the payload required for deep-strike missions.

The planned German output illustrates the scale of that strategy. A production rate of 5,000 missiles per year at a single European facility would represent a substantial new source of long-range strike capacity if Covenant reaches its stated manufacturing target.

Europe is accelerating long-range strike procurement

Covenant's German expansion coincides with a broader European effort to rebuild long-range conventional strike capabilities.

France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom are cooperating through the European Long-range Strike Approach, or ELSA. The six governments established the initiative to accelerate long-range strike development, strengthen European industrial cooperation and improve NATO deterrence and defense. 

In June 2026, the six ELSA countries moved several areas into dedicated implementation groups. These include ground-launched systems in the 300-500 kilometer and 500-2,000 kilometer categories, systems with ranges beyond 2,000 kilometers and low-cost long-range strike capabilities exceeding 500 kilometers. 

Germany is pursuing several tracks simultaneously. The German government has identified modernization of the existing Taurus inventory and development of Taurus Neo, procurement of available systems, and ELSA cooperation as separate elements of its deep precision strike effort. Germany and the United Kingdom are also cooperating on capabilities exceeding 2,000 kilometers. 

Research by the International Institute for Strategic Studies has identified a wider shift among European NATO members from predominantly air-launched legacy weapons toward ground- and sea-launched cruise and ballistic missile capabilities in the 1,000 to 2,000 kilometer and longer-range categories. 

Covenant therefore enters Europe while governments are simultaneously defining requirements, developing sovereign systems and looking for weapons that can expand inventories faster.

Anthem adds another option to Europe's missile market

Anthem will not enter an empty market. European countries are pursuing national and multinational long-range strike programs while also procuring existing U.S. systems.

Covenant's differentiating proposition is production scale combined with a largely European supply chain. The company is attempting to position Anthem between lower-cost one-way attack systems and more expensive long-range cruise missiles intended for high-value targets.

The first undisclosed European contract will provide an early test of that strategy. More consequential for Covenant will be whether additional NATO governments accept a relatively new supplier for a capability that directly affects national deterrence and deep-strike planning.

Production in Saxony could help address part of that challenge by placing manufacturing, suppliers and future deliveries inside Europe rather than relying primarily on exports from the United States.

For European governments, the relevant question will not only be Anthem's unit cost or technical performance. Production capacity, supply-chain control, integration with existing launch and command architectures, and the ability to sustain deliveries during a prolonged conflict are increasingly important parts of long-range strike procurement.

Covenant expects the first European Anthem deliveries in 2027. If the Saxony facility reaches its planned 5,000-missile annual production rate in 2028, the company could become a new industrial participant in Europe's rapidly expanding long-range strike market. 

Covenant Anthem: key questions

When will Covenant produce Anthem missiles in Germany?

Covenant plans to begin mass production in Saxony in early 2027. The plant will start with an annual production rate of 1,000 missiles and is designed to support 5,000 per year, with Covenant targeting that production rate during 2028. 

Has a European country ordered the Anthem missile?

Yes. Covenant has confirmed one European contract for Anthem but has not disclosed the customer. Initial deliveries of the ground-launched missile are expected in 2027. 

How much of Anthem will be produced in Europe?

Covenant says more than 95% of the components for European Anthem production are sourced in Europe. The company intends to eliminate the remaining non-European components from that supply chain. 

Why is Covenant building missiles in Germany?

The German facility places Anthem production close to a growing European market for long-range strike weapons while increasing the European content of the missile. Germany is also one of six countries participating in ELSA, which includes work on multiple ground-launched and low-cost long-range strike categories.