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OKIsItJustMe

(21,905 posts)
37. A Tomahawk Costs $2 Million. Here's Who Gets Paid to Replace It.
Fri Apr 24, 2026, 09:06 PM
19 hrs ago
https://govfacts.org/policy-security/military/defense-procurement-contractors/a-tomahawk-costs-2-million-heres-who-gets-paid-to-replace-it/
Last Updated: Mar 03, 2026 12:11 PM



The Tomahawk Block V carries an official FY2026 unit cost of $2.5 million, though contract prices range from $1.75 million to $4.1 million depending on variant and order size. Lockheed Martin’s JASSM-ER is the stealthy standoff missile that Air Force and Navy aircraft carry into defended airspace. U.S. procurement figures place it at $1.4 to $1.6 million per unit, with exact current-year figures not publicly confirmed. Boeing’s GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator is the 30,000-pound bunker buster that only a B-2 Spirit can carry. It is so specialized that production contracts have historically run in the tens of millions for small lots, meaning per-unit costs that far exceed even the Tomahawk.



The Procurement Architecture Pre-Selects the Winners
The question of who gets paid to replace expended munitions is not an open question. It was answered in advance, in contract documents, by a procurement architecture that reflects a clear policy choice to use sole-source contracts when only one qualified manufacturer exists. That structure puts speed and industrial base stability ahead of competitive pricing. Defense economists have debated that tradeoff for decades.



RTX Corporation, the company formed when Raytheon merged with United Technologies in 2020, holds the exclusive contract to build Tomahawks. RTX manufactures both the land-attack and ship-targeting versions across all current production blocks. On February 4, 2026, three weeks before Operation Epic Fury commenced, RTX announced a major long-term deal with the Pentagon to increase Tomahawk production to over 1,000 units annually. That is a more than tenfold increase from the previous baseline.



For JASSM-ER missiles, the arrangement runs parallel. Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, headquartered in Grand Prairie, Texas, holds the primary production contract. In March 2026, one week after the opening strikes, Lockheed Martin received an addition to its existing contract worth $122.6 million to ramp up JASSM production. The company had already invested in a new 225,000-square-foot production facility in 2022. That facility features robotic paint lines and automated testing, built specifically to increase JASSM quantities. Those facilities now run at higher usage rates as demand spikes.

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1 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

He is unilaterally disarming us (nt) ret5hd Yesterday #1
Pretty much, yeah. OldBaldy1701E Yesterday #3
Just amazing OKIsItJustMe Yesterday #21
Someone will get very rich making all the new weapons to restore the stockpile. Irish_Dem 20 hrs ago #29
Yep! OKIsItJustMe 19 hrs ago #36
A Tomahawk Costs $2 Million. Here's Who Gets Paid to Replace It. OKIsItJustMe 19 hrs ago #37
I remember people getting very rich off the Viet Nam war. Irish_Dem 9 hrs ago #40
People got rich off WW I and WW II OKIsItJustMe 5 hrs ago #41
And inadvertently reigniting the kick-starting of our phase out of dependency on fossil fuels. littlemissmartypants Yesterday #6
Putin might be dangling a bonus if Trump leaves the US military crippled and without needed arms. Attilatheblond Yesterday #17
Putin is getting every single thing on his US destruction wish list. Irish_Dem 20 hrs ago #31
He better save some ammo for the death penalty by firing squad Maggiemayhem Yesterday #20
A manly man's war UpInArms Yesterday #2
MAGA is saving our tax dollars from fraud, waste, and abuse IronLionZion Yesterday #4
It's like a boxing match. We are the favorite and we're punching ourselves out, soon will be too tired. Walleye Yesterday #5
Leaving Taiwan wide open to attack from the mainland. Smooth move Hogsbreath. Ford_Prefect Yesterday #7
He has been paid off by China. Check recent unseen China ships paasing the "Blockcade" dave99 22 hrs ago #23
Exactly. China benefits a great deal from Trump's war in Iran. Irish_Dem 20 hrs ago #32
Is this why . . . AverageOldGuy Yesterday #8
The military industrial complex has to make their money in some manner. travelingthrulife Yesterday #11
Yup. republianmushroom Yesterday #14
The military industrial complex must get must get much richer. Irish_Dem 20 hrs ago #33
Xi and Putin Miguelito Loveless Yesterday #9
Yeah, there's never been a better time to make a move on Taiwan, if Xi is going to do it. LudwigPastorius Yesterday #19
They will emerge as the new global superpowers. Irish_Dem 20 hrs ago #34
Billions and billions. twodogsbarking Yesterday #10
They can replace all of it as long as AIPAC pays for it. ChicagoTeamster Yesterday #12
Anyone remember popsdenver Yesterday #13
Six days. Six weeks. I doubt six months. And then the unknown unknowns arrived. flashman13 20 hrs ago #25
The only thing Mr. Poopy-Pants & his CABAL popsdenver 4 hrs ago #42
No paywall ... BlueWavePsych Yesterday #15
This is what happens when you use defensive stockpiles... ruet Yesterday #16
This is the strategy of Putin & Trump popsdenver 4 hrs ago #43
This style of waging war is totally on-brand for the US military. BobTheSubgenius Yesterday #18
Proving, once again, repukes can't govern sakabatou Yesterday #22
Here's the REAL reason Trump started the Iran War jmowreader 21 hrs ago #24
One more reason why TSF would be itching for nukes: no_hypocrisy 20 hrs ago #26
Who benefits and how? Irish_Dem 20 hrs ago #27
And Iran still has not surrendered. Irish_Dem 20 hrs ago #28
We are a kind of stupid only rich people can be. surrealAmerican 20 hrs ago #30
News blackout enid602 20 hrs ago #35
Trump and Hegseth whine that Biden did not leave a big enough stockpile. Norrrm 18 hrs ago #38
Anyone want to contribute to the not-a-war effort? Aussie105 12 hrs ago #39
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