Iran mission takes toll on U.S. munition stockpile, they ain't build'in them (fast) like autos

catch22

We've all heard the words in the movies, "I'm out of ammo". One can hear the words now; "You can't launch anymore intercept missiles today; whatever happens, so be it. Imagine the circumstance today with no missiles for interceptions, in the Middle East countries.

To ADD: Generally, defense sector etf investments appear to be fully priced right now....down Tuesday (2%), after having 70% one year runs.

Except from article: Efforts are underway to improve munition production. For example, the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin signed an agreement in January to bolster production of THAAD interceptors from 96 each year to 400 annually. Likewise, the Pentagon and RTX inked several agreements in February to boost production capacity and delivery of munitions, including the Tomahawk to more than 1,000 a year, and the SM-6 to more than 500 a year.

ARTICLE

Old_Joe

Your tax dollars at work.

DrVenture

That is a lot of extra production for an administration that promised to eschew engaging in foreign wars.

Old_Joe

Was that "eschew" right before "engaging" a sneeze?
Gesundheit!

DrVenture

Thank you!

catch22

Hi @Old_Joe et al

Sing along now, "We're in the money, we're in the money!".

---------
Approximate unit costs for these U.S. missile systems vary based on version and procurement year, with recent figures indicating: Patriot PAC-3 MSE ($\sim$$3.8M–$4M), Tomahawk ($\sim$$1.3M–$2.5M), SM-6 ($\sim$$4.25M–$8.5M), and THAAD ($\sim$$12.6M–$13M). THAAD and SM-6 represent the high end, while Tomahawks are used for precision strikes.

Missile Interceptor Costs (Unit Cost)
THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense): Approximately $12.6 million to $13 million per interceptor. A full battery, including launcher and radar, exceeds $1 billion.

SM-6 (Standard Missile-6): Approximately $4.25 million (Block I/IA) to $8.5 million (Block IB) per missile.

Patriot (PAC-3 MSE): Approximately $3.8 million per interceptor. A full battery is often cited at over $1 billion.

Tomahawk Cruise Missile: Roughly $1.3 million to $2.5 million per missile depending on the variant.

Key Takeaways
Replacement Rates: High-end interceptors like THAAD and SM-6 are significantly more expensive than the threats they destroy (e.g., $50,000 drones), leading to concerns regarding inventory exhaustion. (My NOTE: many drones are very inexpensive to build)

Cost Variability: Costs can fluctuate based on production volume, upgrades, and foreign military sales, as indicated by data from the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance and Congressional Budget Office.

System Costs: A complete Patriot system battery costs over $1 billion, while a THAAD battery is estimated between $1 billion and $1.8

a2z

in 1 day, pete kegsbreath lost ~us$100m via three f-15 planes due to foxnews level communication skills in actual war theatrics .
that's some real trump-bonding by fav means necessary.

rforno

a2z said:

in 1 day, pete kegsbreath lost ~us$100m via three f-15 planes due to foxnews level communication skills in actual war theatrics .
that's some real trump-bonding by fav means necessary.

Yes but he gets to sneer at the cameras and use words like 'lethality', 'kinetic', 'executed the mission' and other buzzwords straight out of the Pentagon dictionary -- and gives him immense personal self-gratification to do so regularly.* Petey is a cosplaying SECDEF at *best* ... simply 'acting' the part and reciting the lines he's given for the audience. He's a complete idiot otherwise, just like his boss.

* keeping it G-rated

Observant1

"Alison Durkee of Forbes reported today that Trump’s military strikes in Iran have already cost
U.S. taxpayers more than $1 billion. The three F-15E Eagle jets lost to friendly fire on Sunday
cost $90 million each. Transporting troops, ships, and aircraft to the Middle East cost about
$630 million. Missiles and weapons systems are also expensive—a drone is about $35,000,
and a Tomahawk missile costs millions—and the two aircraft carriers in the region together cost
at least $13 million a day. And then there are the costs of operating aircraft, and so on."

"Jennifer Scholtes and Katherine Tully-McManus of Politico reported that lawmakers anticipate
the administration will ask for supplemental funding for this operation, over and above the more
than $150 billion the Republicans provided the Pentagon in their One Big Beautiful Bill Act
and the nearly $839 billion in regular funding Congress appropriated in February."

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-3-2026

JD_co

$1B is only 1/10th of what he re-appropriated for his Board of Peace (no, I cannot let this one go).