There’s promise — and pitfalls — in the Army’s low-cost interceptor plan, experts say

The Army's recently announced low-cost interceptor (LCI) program is a step in the right direction for a new era of combat but could face obstacles with production capacity, budget constraints, and safety standards, according to analysts and a former defense official. Stacie Pettyjohn of the Center for a New American Security said the reasoning behind the program is "really sensible," noting that the existing threat is actually low-end systems like cheap drones, and the military needs more affordable missiles rather than focusing exclusively on high-end threats. The US military is experiencing a high "burn rate" of expensive systems like PAC-3 and SM-6 missiles to defeat Iranian-made Shahed drones. John Ferrari, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former two-star Army general, said he wished the Army had started such a program five years ago and believes LCIs can be mass-produced by working with venture capital-backed firms that leverage commercial practices. A former defense official predicted the Army will be able to scale LCIs quickly due to VC-backed companies investing in production capacity before designs are finalized. However, Pettyjohn noted there will still be a need for some exquisite materials, particularly for the seeker component that guides an interceptor to its target.