The Pentagon may have found a much cheaper alternative to Patriot missiles - for less than $750,000 a shot

• X-Bow received nearly $11 million under a new interceptor development contract
• The new interceptor system targets a cost below $750,000 per launch
• Patriot missiles currently cost roughly one-fifth more than this new target

The Pentagon has awarded X-Bow Systems almost $11 million to develop a lower-cost interceptor system under a missile defense program.

The project falls under the Missile Defense Agency's Rapid Response Small Launcher Technology program and seeks to create a weapon that could cost below $750,000 per launch.

That figure amounts to roughly one-fifth the cost of a Patriot missile, the current top-tier standard for air defense systems.

X-Bow develops a new interceptor approach

The Missile Defense Agency selected X-Bow through its Low-Cost Interceptor program, which focuses on developing affordable systems against advanced aerial threats.

The company will use the funding to continue propulsion work and prepare a prototype for a planned flight demonstration.

X-Bow produces its solid...

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