U.S. Navy Boosts Tomahawk Production
PHOTO CAPTION: An Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. fires a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile during Operation Epic Fury, Feb. 28, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo)
The U.S. Navy has awarded Raytheon a $22.9 billion contract aimed at dramatically expanding production of Tomahawk cruise missiles, with annual output expected to rise from roughly 60 missiles to more than 1,000.
Raytheon announced the seven-year contract on Aug. 17, 2026, saying the agreement will expand manufacturing capacity and provide a more predictable supply of Tomahawks for the Navy and U.S. allies.
The production increase would represent a massive change for one of the Navy’s most recognizable long-range weapons. Reuters reported that Raytheon currently produces about 60 Tomahawks annually, while the new production plan calls for output exceeding 1,000 missiles per year.
Tomahawks can be launched from Navy surface ships and submarines to strike land targets at long range. Raytheon says the missile can reach targets from roughly 1,000 miles away and remains one of the U.S. military’s primary precision-strike weapons.
The new contract comes as the Pentagon works to rebuild stocks of precision-guided weapons after supplying large quantities of munitions to U.S. allies and using weapons during the conflict with Iran. U.S. Navy ships fired Tomahawk missiles during Operation Epic Fury earlier this year, including strikes against Iranian military targets.
Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said the military had pressed defense companies to rapidly increase munitions production and described the Tomahawk agreement as part of that effort.
The contract formalizes a production framework first announced in February. At the time, Raytheon and the Pentagon laid out plans to increase output not only of Tomahawks but also several other high-demand missile systems as the Defense Department pushes industry to expand manufacturing capacity for a potential high-intensity conflict.
Raytheon says it has already increased Tomahawk deliveries, producing three times as many missiles during the first half of 2026 as it did during the same period in 2025. The company said it will invest in its workforce, facilities, technology and supply chain while working with hundreds of smaller suppliers to support the planned expansion.
The scale of the target is significant: moving from about 60 Tomahawks annually to more than 1,000 would increase planned production capacity by more than sixteenfold.
For the Navy, the agreement is part of a broader effort to ensure that weapons routinely used in major combat operations can be replaced much faster than under traditional peacetime production rates.
(Source: OAF Nation)
