-Iran war continues, stockpiles of critical weapons, including precision missiles, are nearly exhausted. S. S.
As the U.S.-Iran war continues, stockpiles of critical weapons, including precision missiles, are nearly exhausted. Despite assurances from Trump about U.S. munitions, a report indicates that if escalation occurs, military leaders may resort to riskier bombing missions due to diminishing resources.The U.S. Army conduct live fire tests of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, (Getty Images)As the US-Iran war is in its sixth month, Washington has nearly exhausted its stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles, raising questions about the future of the conflict. According to Reuters, the US has used "virtually all" of its Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) in the first five months of the war, which began on February 28.The PrSM is a newer, more advanced generation that will replace the ATACMS, which have a shorter range.The long-range munitions – which cost more than $1 million each – are an important part of the military's arsenal, allowing accurate strikes from a safe distance.Why it mattersAccording to CBS News, US officials said there are limited inventories of the ATACMS and Precision Strike Missiles, and that the most pressing concern involves the number of Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors, which have been used faster than the industry can replace them.Patriots and THAADs are systems that detect and destroy incoming missiles and are among the most effective in the country's arsenal.US stockpile before Iran warA report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies last month estimated that before the war began, the US had 2,330 Patriots, and at the end of July, was down to between 759 and 827 of them. Similarly, before the war, the US had 452 THAAD interceptors, and as of July 27, was down to between 234 and 278.CSIS also estimated that it could take until at least mid-2029 to return to pre-war inventory levels for both Patriots and THAADs.The US also burned through a little less than half of its global supply of Tomahawk cruise missiles, which are generally launched from ships, since the start of the war, the Reuters report added.While ATACMS and PrSMs, along with the THAAD system, are made by Lockheed Martin, Tomahawk missiles and Patriot interceptors are manufactured by Raytheon.What is next for US?According to the Reuters report, the dramatic rundown in precision, long-range missiles means the US may have to rely more on riskier, piloted bombing missions if Trump relaunches large-scale attacks on Iran.Military leaders have for weeks warned the president that stockpiles of defensive weapons were dwindling, said two of the sources. Last week, several media outlets reported Trump had decided not to launch another massive offensive inside Iran in part because his military advisers had warned about the U.S. stockpile.A US official disputed those accounts, saying Trump chose not to move forward with another attack because of pressure from Gulf states.An unnamed source, however, told Reuters that despite the high usage of precision weapons, the US can resupply from around the world.In response to the Reuters report about the stockpile data, the White House issued a statement from Trump, saying the US had “far more munitions than anyone in the world" and "far more than we need.""Our defense companies are, at this moment, making more munitions than they have ever made before, in addition to expanding their plants and equipment at record levels," Trump said.Get Latest real-time updatesStay updated with the latest Trending, India, World and US news. HomeNewsUs NewsUS has used almost all of its long-range precision missiles including ATACMS and PrSM in Iran war: ReportMore
The US Army has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth up to $58.6 billion to boost Patriot missile production as conflicts in Iran and Ukraine strain US stockpiles. The Pentagon is accelerating output, despite Trump dismissing concerns over a depleting munitions stockpileFile image of a US Patriot missile system(REUTERS)The Pentagon on Wednesday (local time) announced that the US Army has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth up to $58.6 billion to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles as the ongoing conflicts in Iran and Ukraine continue to strain Washington's weapons stockpile.The development comes amid concerns over a dwindling weapons stockpile as the US and Iran continue to trade tit-for-tat strikes, in a conflict that began roughly five months ago. Reuters reported that Washington has supplied large quantities of munitions to its allies while also using them in its own military operations in Tehran.Pentagon pushes Lockheed for faster productionLockheed's contract will convert a previous one-year deal of $4.7 billion, which was awarded in April, into a seven-year draft agreement that will create a multiyear procurement plan for the interceptors from fiscal years 2026 through 2032, the Army said.Pentagon officials are urging defence contractors to speed up production, with preliminary agreements reached earlier this year forming a key part of efforts to boost missile manufacturing. At the same time, US President Donald Trump's administration has intensified its push for contractors to focus on increasing output rather than rewarding shareholders. Earlier this January, he signed an executive order directing officials to identify companies that were falling short on government contracts while continuing to return profits to shareholders.Defence companies await Congress funding approvalMeanwhile, the exact terms and delivery dates for many Pentagon munitions deals are still under negotiation. While industry executives have welcomed the production agreements, they also said that Congress must appropriate funding before defence companies can invest more heavily in components and production capacity.Lockheed Martin, the Bethesda, Maryland-headquartered defence contractor, said the new funding would support its plan to triple production capacity for PAC-3 MSE interceptor missiles by the end of 2030. The company also aims to expand its workforce at its Camden, Arkansas, facility by 50 per cent, increasing employee strength to around 1,850 from about 1,200. Lockheed has previously said it plans to raise annual production of Patriot PAC-3 missile interceptors to 2,000 units.Separately, Lockheed Martin said it will invest between $8 billion and $9 billion through 2030 to upgrade more than 20 facilities across the United States, including the construction of new munitions centres in Alabama and Arkansas.US strikes deal with RTXAlongside its agreement with Lockheed Martin, the US Army has also struck a similar deal with RTX, Raytheon's parent company, to boost the production of Tomahawk cruise missiles from the current rate of roughly 60 a year to 1,000 units annually over time.US has used two-thirds of its Patriot missiles since Iran war beganEarlier this week, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank, estimated that the US military has used more than two-thirds of its Patriot missiles and has less than 1,000 Patriot and 250 THAAD interceptors left on hand, raising fresh concerns over a diminishing stockpile. Patriot and THAAD are two of the most crucial air defence systems that have been heavily used in the Middle East since the conflict began in late February. According to the report, before the Iran conflict, Washington had over 2,700 Patriot and THAAD missile systems. Although US forces have intercepted nearly all incoming threats, some Iranian attacks have recently penetrated defences, prompting the CSIS to warn that shrinking missile stockpiles could leave American troops
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