Tomahawk stockpile alarm
The US has fired roughly 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles in the Iran war's opening weeks, raising alarms that key missile stockpiles could take years to replenish — each Tomahawk costs about $3.6M and can take up to two years to manufacture. The scale of use is forcing planners to rethink readiness against near-peer rivals as replenishment timelines and procurement rates lag demand. (smallwarsjournal.com)
The Navy requested just 57 new Tomahawk missiles in its FY2026 procurement line while analysts say the U.S. typically buys roughly 90 Tomahawks a year under steady‑state plans. (cbsnews.com) RTX (Raytheon) signed framework agreements with the Department of Defense on Feb. 4, 2026 that commit the company to scale Tomahawk production to more than 1,000 missiles per year over multi‑year contracts. (rtx.com) A Pentagon and think‑tank review shows a theoretical peak output of about 2,330 Tomahawks per year based on existing contract capacities (three Raytheon lines at ~600 each and a BAE line at ~530), even though routine procurement has been far lower. (cbsnews.com) Independent researchers estimate the U.S. inventory at roughly 3,100 Tomahawk rounds, a baseline used by planners when weighing how much industrial surge is needed to restore war‑reserve levels. (cbsnews.com) Budget papers and reporting show the Navy planned to buy 57 Maritime Strike Tomahawks in FY2026 at an approximate program cost of $142 million and was expecting to rely heavily on a congressional supplemental to fund that purchase. (insidedefense.com) Pentagon officials and lawmakers have opened discussions about supplemental defense funding and an industrial surge to replenish precision‑strike stocks, with reporting noting internal planning and budget lines for recertification and upgrades in the FY2026 Navy weapons book. (breakingdefense.com) Past contracts demonstrate recent production activity — Raytheon received a full‑rate production award worth about $401.2 million for 131 Block V Tomahawks in December 2024 — underscoring that industrial capacity exists but must be rapidly expanded to match current operational burn rates. (thedefensepost.com)
