U.S. Navy Tomahawk Stockpile To Last Only 3.7 Months?

The U.S. Navy’s stockpile of Tomahawk cruise missiles could last approximately three and a half months at the current rate of use in strikes against Iran.

This is according to analysis by RIA Novosti based on U.S. budget documents.

The data indicates a target inventory of 3,992 Tomahawk missiles. After accounting for more than 850 missiles already used since operations began on February 28, the remaining stock could sustain operations for about 3.7 months. The U.S. has procured a total of 9,240 Tomahawk missiles since production began.

According to western media, the Pentagon has raised concerns over the pace of munitions consumption, noting that the current rate could affect U.S. combat readiness in the Indo-Pacific region.

In the first 72 hours of the operation, the U.S. Navy reportedly launched around 400 Tomahawk missiles, representing roughly 10% of its ready-to-fire inventory.

The U.S. has maintained its missile inventory since 2019 through recertification and modernization programs, updating older Tomahawks to extend their service life. Around 250 missiles are annually under this process.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that U.S. losses from damaged or destroyed military equipment during operations in the Middle East have reached nearly $3 billion.

The strikes began on February 28, when the U.S. and Israel targeted sites in Iran, including Tehran, resulting in infrastructure damage and civilian casualties. Iran has since conducted retaliatory strikes against U.S. military positions in the Middle East and Israeli territory.

In mid-March, Defense Mirror wrote citing various reports that the scale of Tomahawk usage has exceeded total production over the past five years. The report also highlighted production constraints, noting that each missile requires between 18 and 24 months to manufacture due to its complexity and reliance on multiple suppliers. Raytheon, the primary contractor, works with more than 100 subcontractors, with unit costs ranging from $2 million to $4 million depending on the variant.

Current U.S. production capacity stands at approximately 90 missiles per year, with historical rates ranging between 90 and 250 annually. Recent procurement for fiscal year 2026 is reported at 57 missiles.

The U.S. has stated plans to expand production through RTX to more than 1,000 Tomahawk missiles annually, though this increase has not yet been realized.