Secret Weapons Firm Covenant Unveils Long-Range Missile System
Covenant, a flying munitions company founded by entrepreneur Michael Kaufman with operations in Israel and Germany, has publicly revealed its long-range weapon system, codenamed Anthem. The company has secured $250 million in funding from investors in major defense firms like Palantir and Anduril, and has agreements with the U.S. Department of Defense. Anthem is described as a long-range, heavy-payload flying munition designed to address the dwindling stockpiles and slow production rates of existing long-range missiles in the West, such as the Tomahawk and Storm Shadow missiles, which have been depleted by conflicts in Iran and Ukraine.
According to Covenant, Anthem is being developed in response to the rapid depletion of precision long-range missile stocks in recent conflicts, which are being consumed faster than defense industries can replenish them. The company aims for large-scale production to maintain availability during prolonged conflicts, estimating that Anthem can be produced in the thousands annually at a cost of several hundred thousand dollars per unit. The system includes logistics for storage, transport, launch, and reloading, as well as software for mission planning and command and control for cost-effective, large-scale coordinated launches.
Covenant has raised $250 million over two years from prominent investors, including venture capital funds associated with Palantir, SpaceX, and Anduril. Notable investors include Founders Fund, 8VC, Lux Capital, Lightspeed, and Andreessen Horowitz's American Dynamism fund, which focuses on national security-critical sectors. David Olch, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, stated that rebuilding the West's long-range strike arsenal is a key mission and that Covenant possesses the technological depth and rapid advancement capability, as demonstrated by Anthem's flight tests.
Following approximately 200 test flights since 2025, including with the U.S. Army, Covenant is inaugurating a new 10,000-square-meter factory in Dallas, Texas. This facility complements an existing factory of similar size in Saxony, Germany, and a 3,000-square-meter research, development, and production facility in Israel. Covenant plans to reach a production rate of 5,000 Anthem units per year at the Dallas plant and has already secured $150 million in orders and contracts, with more expected by year-end. The company is working with the U.S. Army to accelerate testing and certification and has a contract with the U.S. Navy worth approximately $70 million to develop a naval version of Anthem and adapt it for export.
Michael Kaufman, Covenant's CEO, emphasized the need for a large enough munition stockpile that can be replenished at the required rate to maintain deterrence, stating that Anthem is designed to strike targets beyond the range of existing weapon systems, even during prolonged combat. Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, now an advisor to Covenant, noted that the company's approach aligns with the Pentagon's Replicator initiative, which focuses on accelerating the acquisition of large quantities of small, inexpensive autonomous systems, and that a similar approach is needed for long-range, heavy-payload systems.
