By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-08-17 18:27:04 | Updated at 2026-08-17 19:34:14
1 hour ago
The Department of War announced a major contract with a U.S. defense contractor on Aug. 17 to increase the production of Tomahawk cruise missiles.
The Pentagon’s $22.9 billion contract with Raytheon, a division of RTX Corp., will increase its production of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to more than 1,000 per year. Monday’s announcement came after the Pentagon signed framework agreements on Aug. 14 to manufacture critical hardware for ballistic missile interceptors.
“The Department called upon industry to expand munitions production, and RTX has answered that call,” Michael P. Duffey, undersecretary of war for acquisition and sustainment, said on Aug. 17. “This Tomahawk award increases our ability to equip the Joint Force, ensuring our Warfighters never face a fair fight.”
A report released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank, indicated that the U.S. military had depleted a significant portion of its critical munition stockpiles, including Patriot, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, and Tomahawk cruise missiles. CSIS warned that it could take years for the Pentagon to replace the missiles used during the war with Iran.
“Guaranteeing our naval and joint forces have the lethal firepower they need to deter aggression and protect the homeland is paramount,” Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said in a statement on Aug. 17.
Cao described the $22.9 billion contract with Raytheon as a landmark investment that would increase the rate of Tomahawk missile deliveries at an “unprecedented speed.”
The Pentagon said the contract would provide defense industry partners with the stability needed to boost manufacturing output, bolster supply chains, and expand the workforce.
The new contract with Raytheon is part of the War Department’s Acquisition Transformation Strategy, an initiative launched by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in November 2025. It prioritizes speed, flexibility, and rigorous execution of weapons and munitions production.
“By working closely with industry to expand our munitions industrial base’s capacity, the Department is utilizing every available tool to meet the demands of our current operations, ensuring they are equipped to fight, win, and come home safe,” Cao said in the Pentagon’s Aug. 17 announcement.
RTX Corp. previously announced framework agreements with the Pentagon in February to increase production of Tomahawk missiles. The defense contractor said the agreements, which would run for up to seven years, would enable Raytheon to produce more than 1,000 Tomahawk missiles per year. Raytheon previously made about 60 Tomahawk missiles per year.
Tomahawks can strike targets 1,000 miles away and be launched from ships, submarines, or ground launchers.
“Tomahawk is the Navy’s most important strike weapon, able to target hostile forces hundreds of miles away without ever risking the lives of our sailors,” Raytheon President Phil Jasper said in a statement on Aug. 17. “We are making significant investments in our workforce, technology, supply chain and facilities to dramatically boost production capacity and meet surging demand.”
A CSIS report released in May showed that the Pentagon’s average annual procurement of Tomahawks was about 86 missiles over the past 10 fiscal years. However, the Navy requested 785 Tomahawk missiles in its fiscal year 2027 budget.
Before the collapse of the temporary ceasefire and memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran in early July, which led to additional military strikes in the Middle East, CSIS estimated that the U.S. military had used more than 1,000 Tomahawk missiles in Operation Epic Fury.
The May CSIS report estimated that the United States could replace the Tomahawk missiles used in the military operation against Iran by late 2030 or early 2031.
President Donald Trump responded on Monday to concerns about diminished U.S. munition stockpiles.
“What we’ve used is peanuts,” he told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst on Aug. 17. “We have a lot of mid-level weapons.”
The Trump administration has proposed a $1.5 trillion defense budget for fiscal year 2027. Pentagon officials indicated that about 52 percent of the requested funding would be used to purchase and develop munitions, ships, aircraft, and other weapons systems.
The Trump administration also asked Congress for an additional $87.6 billion supplemental funding package for fiscal year 2026. The Pentagon would receive $67.1 billion if Congress approves the package.
During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on July 21, Hegseth said the Iran war had cost the United States about $37.5 billion so far. He said the supplemental funding request would sustain military readiness and accelerate the Pentagon’s replacement of needed capabilities.
“We face critical shortfalls that threaten our ability to also simply pay our service members, rapidly replenish equipment and munitions, and sustain vital operations without disruption,” he said.
In response to CSIS’s reports of diminished munitions, the Pentagon previously told The Epoch Times that the U.S. military maintains a “deep arsenal of capabilities.”
“America’s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing,” chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.
Bill Pan contributed to this report.
