Israel weighs buying low-cost cruise missiles

The move fits within what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described in a September 2025 speech as a “Super Sparta” vision.

By David Israel, TPS

Israel’s Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that its director general, Amir Baram, last week visited Covenant Technologies Ltd, a high-profile U.S.-Israeli defense technology startup founded in July 2024 by Michael Kaufman.

The company specializes in aerial munitions, with operations in both Israel and Germany. Israeli media reported that Israel is considering buying low-cost cruise missiles from the firm.

The idea reflects a broader shift in military thinking, away from scarce, expensive weapons and toward small, simple, cheap munitions that can be produced in large numbers.

The contrast with traditional systems is stark.

The American Tomahawk cruise missile costs roughly $2.6 million per unit, which limits how many a military can stock and how freely it can use them.

A cheaper alternative would let Israel hold much larger inventories for a prolonged, multi-front conflict.

The purchase under review is reportedly worth hundreds of millions of shekels.

The move fits within what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described in a September 2025 speech as a “Super Sparta” vision.

He portrayed an Israel with near-total military self-reliance and an economy with autarkic features, less dependent on foreign supply and trade.

The concept is a response to fears of arms embargoes, sanctions, and international isolation.

Its stated pillars include reducing dependence on the United States and other Western countries through large-scale domestic production, embracing “good enough” weapons such as cheap cruise missiles and mass-produced drones, and cutting regulatory barriers at the Defense Ministry to speed up licensing and defense exports.

It also assumes preparation for a long, multi-front war, including holding security zones and building costly engineering barriers, such as along the eastern border.

The vision has drawn wide public and economic criticism. Experts argue that full military independence is an illusion.

They point to the Air Force’s constant need for heavy munitions such as one-ton bombs, which Elbit’s domestic production cannot supply fast enough to meet operational demand.

As a result, Israel still relies on purchases and approvals worth billions of dollars from Washington.

Economists and Finance Ministry officials raise a second concern: cost.

The defense budget has climbed beyond 150 billion shekels ($47.7 billion), and critics warn that expanding it without identifying revenue sources or setting clear priorities, while also harming the economy’s growth engines, creates an unprecedented fiscal risk.

They also cite pressure on Israel’s credit rating. A third line of criticism concerns Israel’s political isolation, though the material provided ends before that point is developed.

Whether the Covenant deal goes forward remains to be seen. For now, the ministry has only confirmed the director general’s visit, and details on scale, price, and delivery timelines have not been made public.

The episode does show how the logic of the Sparta vision is shaping procurement, with cost, volume, and independence from foreign suppliers now weighed alongside raw performance.

cruise missileIDFWeapons