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In reply to the discussion: U.S. Has 'Burned Through' Eye-Popping Amount of Munitions During Trump's Iran War: Report [View all]OKIsItJustMe
(21,905 posts)37. A Tomahawk Costs $2 Million. Here's Who Gets Paid to Replace It.
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 Martins 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. Boeings 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.
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 Martins 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. Boeings 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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U.S. Has 'Burned Through' Eye-Popping Amount of Munitions During Trump's Iran War: Report [View all]
BumRushDaShow
Yesterday
OP
Someone will get very rich making all the new weapons to restore the stockpile.
Irish_Dem
20 hrs ago
#29
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
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
The military industrial complex has to make their money in some manner.
travelingthrulife
Yesterday
#11
Yeah, there's never been a better time to make a move on Taiwan, if Xi is going to do it.
LudwigPastorius
Yesterday
#19
Six days. Six weeks. I doubt six months. And then the unknown unknowns arrived.
flashman13
20 hrs ago
#25