Nations in Europe and the Indo-Pacific are seeking to expand their arsenals to counter threats such as the increasingly aggressive actions of the Chinese Communist Party and Russia.
Allies and partners of the United States now want to acquire weapons faster and cheaper, according to an October 2025 Reuters report. Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine has underscored that urgency because its “high burn rate” of munitions has challenged nations supplying Kyiv with weapons, according to an August 2025 report in National Defense magazine.
“The result is a level of arms manufacture unseen in recent years — much of it focused on mass-produced long-range strike systems as well as short-range defensive weapons,” Peter Apps of Reuters wrote in an October 2025 commentary.
This drive for new weapons systems comes amid U.S. calls for NATO members and other Allies to increase defense spending and take on more responsibility for regional security.
“Speed and scale of manufacture is what governments are looking for,” Mal Crease, CEO of United Kingdom maritime drone manufacturer Kraken Technology Group, told Reuters. Defense analysts note that weapons must be inexpensive enough for large-scale use. For instance, interceptor drones can down unmanned aircraft systems and missiles at much lower cost than traditional air defenses.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence announced in August 2025 that it is seeking a medium-range ballistic missile capable of hitting targets 600 kilometers away with a conventional warhead. The government requires that it be inexpensive compared with other missiles — less than $680,000, according to the Reuters report. Also, the first prototype must test within nine months with production to begin a few months later. The initiative, Project Nightfall, would represent the first time that the U.K. has built its own ballistic missile since the 1960s.
Other examples of countries seeking to shorten the production time for new weapons systems while lowering costs:
- Taiwan said in September 2025 that it is developing a low-budget, long-range cruise missile with U.S. manufacturer Anduril Industries, which National Defense calls “perhaps the most prominent name in affordable munitions.”
- Kraken said the yearly production of its unmanned K3 SCOUT surface craft will double in 2026 because of a deal with the German shipbuilder NVL, according to Reuters.
- Anduril signed a deal to deliver its Ghost Shark underwater drone to Australia. The submersible went from concept to production in just three years because the Royal Australian Navy took on shared risk.
- Italy has contracted with European missile manufacturer MBDA to begin production of an anti-ship missile for its Navy that will be capable of engaging both surface and land targets from long ranges, according to Aviation Week.
The U.S., meanwhile, is seeking to streamline defense acquisitions and boost its defense industrial base. The Department of War is reaching beyond legacy defense manufacturers by working with companies such as Anduril and rocket-propulsion company Ursa Major.
“Right now, we’re proving the art of the possible on a lot of these types of [defense] technologies, including … rapid development times,” Ursa Major CEO Dan Jablonsky told National Defense. “And I think that the ecosystem needs that type of innovation and energy now.”