Six European Countries to Develop Low-Cost OWE 500+ Cruise Missile: What Are Its Characteristics?

Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, and Sweden have signed an agreement on the joint development and production of an inexpensive cruise missile.

This was reported by Hartpunkt.

It is noted that the document was signed during a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels. The project will be implemented as part of the European Long Range Strike Approach (ELSA) initiative to create conventional long-range weapons.

In professional circles, the project is known as One Way Effector 500 Plus (OWE 500+).

The idea is to conduct research on the possibility of developing a joint, cost-effective platform that can be equipped with national combat units or other useful payloads.

The production of missiles is planned to be distributed among the participating countries. This should ensure faster scaling of production and increase the resilience of production capacities in the event of the failure of individual enterprises.

The overall concept is to create a weapon that can be purchased at a relatively low price and used in large quantities to overwhelm enemy air defense systems.

According to Hartpunkt sources, the OWE 500+ is designed to deliver a payload of about 50 kg with high precision at a range of up to 500 km.

It is known that the German side plans to use these systems for its land forces.

In December, during a speech at a parliamentary event organized by Förderkreis Deutsches Heer e.V., it was announced that by 2029, the army would form a battery as the basis for a future multi-domain task force.

It is expected to be equipped with high-precision long-range surface-to-surface weapons. According to informed sources, Germany has promised NATO to create three such batteries.