:

Army

Army Launches Low-Cost Interceptor Competition, With Demos Planned For This Fall

By Matthew Beinart

Thursday, July 9th, 2026

SHARE:

Army Launches Low-Cost Interceptor Competition, With Demos Planned For This Fall

Launch of Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC)-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptor. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

The Army is officially accepting industry’s proposals for its low-cost interceptor competition, with plans to conduct demonstrations of all-up rounds and critical components this fall before selecting winners in December. The service plans to award up to $8 million in cash prizes for the initiative, called xTech|Apex Intercept, with an eye toward seeking innovative solutions from businesses of all sizes, to include new defense entrants. “The U.S. Army is taking a new approach to one of the central challenges facing…

Budget

Hegseth Pushes For Reconciliation With At Least $350 Billion For Defense ‘Regardless’ Of Midterms Outcome

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday the Trump administration plans to continue its push for at least $350 billion in defense funds via the reconciliation process “regardless of what happens […]

Congress

Bipartisan Push in Senate to Hasten Export of 155 mm, GMLRS, HIMARS for Ukraine

A small, bipartisan group of senators is backing the Fast Tracking European Investment in Ukraine’s Defense Act, S. 5175, to hasten the export of allied buys of U.S. munitions for […]

Congress

Rep. Himes Signals Increased Contractor Oversight, if Democrats Win House

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, plans to increase the committee’s contractor oversight if the Democrats win control of the House […]

Congress

CBO Estimates Loss of One-Half to Two-Thirds of U.S. Missile Interceptors Since June Last Year

A new Congressional Budget Office report estimates the cost of the Iran war through Aug. 1 as $38 billion and says that the U.S. has likely depleted between one-half and […]