U.S. Firing Tomahawk Missiles Faster than Producing Them during Iran Operation

The United States is using Tomahawk cruise missiles in operations against Iran faster than they can be produced.

The U.S. and Israel have been conducting military operations against Iran for nearly three weeks, with both sides exchanging strikes during that period.

The scale of missile use has exceeded the total number of Tomahawks produced over the past five years, raising concerns about potential depletion of U.S. stockpiles, according to a report by The National Interest. The missile has been widely used in the opening phase of Operation Epic Fury, with the U.S. Navy launching hundreds of Tomahawk missiles at Iranian radar sites, command centers, missile facilities, and naval targets.

In the first 72 hours of the operation, the U.S. Navy reportedly fired about 400 Tomahawk missiles, which is roughly 10% of the country’s ready-to-fire inventory.

The Tomahawk cruise missile has been a central strike weapon for the U.S. military since the Cold War. It is typically launched from U.S. Navy destroyers, cruisers, and submarines and can strike targets more than 900 nautical miles away. The missile uses multiple guidance systems, including GPS navigation, inertial navigation, Terrain Contour Matching, and Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation, allowing it to fly low and navigate complex routes before hitting targets with precision.

However, replacing expended missiles takes time. The National Interest reported that building a Tomahawk missile generally requires between 18 and 24 months because the system includes thousands of precision components and relies on multiple suppliers. Raytheon, the primary contractor for the missile, works with a network of more than 100 subcontractors to produce the system. The total cost of each missile ranges from $2 million to $4 million, depending on variant.

Production capacity also remains limited. The U.S. currently produces about 90 Tomahawk missiles per year. At that rate, the report said it would take roughly four and a half years to replace the missiles used in just the first 72 hours of Operation Epic Fury, the report said.

As of early 2026, the U.S. said it plans to expand RTX production to over 1,000 Tomahawk missiles annually. Current production rates have historically been around 90-250 missiles per year, with recent procurement for FY2026 falling to 57 missiles, notes Business Insider and Wikipedia.

The Financial Times reported last week that the U.S. has used years’ worth of critical ammunition since the start of its operation in Iran.

Meanwhile, France is also assessing the depletion of MICA air-to-air missiles used by Rafale jets in the U.A.E. during interceptions of Iranian-made drones and cruise missiles, La Tribune reported. French aircraft have been involved in defending the U.A.E. since February 28 from Al Dhafra Air Base under a bilateral defense agreement.