Tomahawk Surge Drains U.S. Stockpiles in Iran Conflict

CBS News reports that the U.S. has fired hundreds of Tomahawk cruise missiles in operations tied to Iran, with estimates over 850 used so far—roughly nine times the typical annual procurement—driving depletion of stockpiles even as production capacity exists (up to about 2,330/year). Current procurement remains far below capacity (roughly 90/year), while the Navy asked for 57 missiles for FY2026; the Pentagon estimates around 3,100 Tomahawks in inventory. Raytheon and the Defense Department are pursuing expanded capacity up to 1,000/year over multiple years, but immediate wartime ramp-up is limited by the defense industrial base. There is no public evidence that Iran uses Tomahawks. Each missile costs around $2.2 million, with launcher costs adding to the total.