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The US Navy has an upgraded Tomahawk: Here’s 5 things you should know

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy test-fired its new Block V Tomahawk from the destroyer Chafee in December, introducing the newest generation of the venerable Tomahawk cruise missile to its arsenal.

The modifications are designed to bring the sub-sonic cruise missile into the era of great power competition . Why is this Tomahawk different from all other Tomahawks, and can this old Cold Warrior keep up in the era of hypersonic missiles?

Here’s five things to know about the Block V:

1. Increased capabilities. Raytheon’s Tomahawk Block V, when fully realized in its Block Va and Block Vb varieties, will be expected to hit surface ships at Tomahawk ranges – in excess of 1,000 miles – with the integration of a new seeker. It also will integrate a new warhead that will have a broader range of capabilities, including greater penetrating power.

Tomahawk’s range is especially important in the Asia-Pacific, where China’s rocket force has extraordinary reach with its DF-26 and DF-21 missiles, with ranges of 2,490 and 1,335 miles respectively, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The missiles are destined not just for the VLS launchers of surface ships but also on attack submarines . Read more here:

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2. More survivable. The first iteration of the Block V upgrades the missile’s communication and navigation systems. This is about making it tougher to counter and detect electronically, said Bryan Clark, a retired submarine officer and senior fellow at The Hudson Institute.

“It has greater electronic hardening to be able to work through jamming more effectively,” Clark said. “The hardening and the electronic countermeasures they’ve put into it make it harder to find and target with radar, and that improves its survivability.

“They’ve incorporated a lot of survivability into Tomahawk over the years, this takes it a step further to make it less susceptible to jamming of its seeker or its communications. But it could, perhaps, also counter enemy radar that might be used to target it and shoot it down.”

In 2017, Raytheon’s Tomahawk program manager told reporters at an event at the missile plant in Tucson, Ariz., that the navigation system upgrades will ensure the missile can strike targets even if GPS is taken down .

3. Subsonic is a feature, not a bug. With all the emphasis on supersonic and hypersonic missiles and with the improvements in air defenses, that might make Tomahawk seem like a fuddy-duddy by comparison.

But there are good reasons to keep producing the Tomahawk, even with its slower speeds.

“The benefit of the sub-sonic missile is range,” Clark said. “Being sub-sonic means its also able to travel at a more fuel-efficient speed. So, the fact that the Tomahawk can travel more than 1,000 miles is a function of the sub-sonic speed. To get that kind of range out of a super-sonic missile you’d need something much larger.”

Sailors on the destroyer Barry train on planning a Tomahawk mission. (Navy)

4. It’s cheap. Well, relatively so. The missile has been able to stay at the $1 million price range, which is on the low end for missiles. Raytheon’s supersonic SM-6 can reach speeds of Mach 3.5 – with future iterations believed to be capable of reaching hypersonic speeds – but cost more than four times as much per shot and have less range. That’s the Tomahawk’s key differentiator, said Jerry Hendrix, a retired Navy captain and analyst with Telemus Group.

“The key capability of Tomahawk is the cost.” Hendrix said. “It can be purchased in larger quantities and you can afford to lose some to defensive capabilities even as you penetrate. That’s one of the reasons why Tomahawk is going to be in the inventory for a while to come, even as it brings back that longer-range anti-ship capability that we’ve been missing for some time.”

Tom Karako, an expert in missile technology with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, agreed that cost is a big advantage of Tomahawk, especially for low-end missions.

“As long as they can keep them to about a million dollars per shot, the Navy is going to want those all day long,” Karako said. “The next time the President says to the Navy, ‘Hey, go schwack this terrorist training camp,’ they’re going to want Tomahawks.”

5. It’s all in the mix. The key to thinking about a sub-sonic cruise missile is understanding how it fits into a mix of weapons, Karako said. Not everything is going to be hypersonic or even supersonic, nor does it have to be, he argued, but the cost per salvo make it attractive as part of a varied and complex threat to present an adversary.

“The question is, ‘What’s the going to be the mix between hypersonic things and things that are supersonic and subsonic?’,” he said. “That, I think, is the right question. As long as you have standoff, subsonic and supersonic are going to be part of the equation.”

“Even for the high-end fight, I don’t think the hypersonic stuff will fully replace sub-sonic stuff. It might just mean you shoot your sub-sonic stuff earlier, let them fly for a while and everything arrives at the same time as part of how you structure an attack.”

The destroyer Dewey conducts a tomahawk missile flight test while underway in the western Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Devin Langer)

Clark, the Hudson analyst, agreed that the mix was important, saying that even with the arrival of faster missiles, the Tomahawk has a place.

The combination of the SM-6, which has a surface strike mode, the new 100-plus-mile ranged anti-ship Naval Strike Missile bound for the littoral combat ships and next-generation frigate, and the Block V upgrades on Tomahawk, will give the Navy’s venerable birds a place in the service’s vertical launch system cells for some time to come, Clark said.

“Between Tomahawk Block V, the SM-6 and the NSM, the Navy has a collection of attack weapons that they are happy with,” he said, adding that a long-running effort to develop a next-generation land-attack weapon has lost some of its urgency.

The development of hypersonic missiles could, however, push out the Tomahawk down the road as the technology gets more advanced and of a size compatible with the Navy’s ubiquitous Mark 41 VLS launcher.

“What’s happening in parallel is in the development of hypersonic missile that are a smaller form factor than the boost-glide weapons that are coming to maturity now,” Clark said. “And if they can get it down to being able to fit in [the Mark 41], then that could provide the Navy a next-generation capability that is more survivable and has a shorter time of flight.

“So I think this combination of missiles the Navy has now, combined with the fact that the hypersonic weapons are coming along a little further out, means the Navy is going to stick with what it has potentially even longer than it had originally anticipated.”

David B. Larter was the naval warfare reporter for Defense News.

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Tomahawk Long-Range Cruise Missile

Tomahawk is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile in service with the surface ships and submarines of the US and the UK’s Royal Navy.

Long-range subsonic cruise missile

Manufacturer

US Navy and Royal Navy

Williams International F415 cruise turbo-fan

Tomahawk is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile in service with the surface ships and submarines of the US and the UK’s Royal Navy. Originally produced by General Dynamics, Tomahawk is currently manufactured by Raytheon.

The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) can strike high-value or heavily defended land targets. The Block II TLAM-A missile achieved initial operating capability in 1984. The missile was first deployed in combat during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

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The Tomahawk family of missiles includes a number of variants, carrying different warheads. The UGM-109A Tomahawk (Block II TLAM-A) carries a W80 nuclear warhead.

RGM / UGM-109C (Block III TLAM-C) is a conventional unitary variant, carrying a 1,000lb-class warhead. RGM / UGM-109D (Block III TLAM-D) is a submunitions dispenser variant armed with 166 combined-effects bomblets.

RGM / UGM-109E Tomahawk (Block IV TLAM-E) is the latest member in the Tomahawk missile family. It carries a 1,000lb-class unitary warhead for a maximum range of 900nmi.

The Tomahawk Block IV missiles were converted and upgraded to Block V in 2017. The upgraded Tomahawk includes extended range, enhanced navigation and communication systems and modernised data-link radio.

The upgrades were performed at Raytheon’s Tucson, Arizona facility. The US Navy will use the upgraded Tomahawk cruise missiles beyond 2040. Raytheon was contracted to integrate the upgraded navigation and communication systems into the Block IV Tactical Tomahawk (TACTOM) missile in March 2020. The upgraded version is known as the Block V TACTOM.

The Block Va variants will be named Maritime Strike and have the capability of hitting a moving target. The Block Vb will feature the Joint Multi-Effects Warhead System.

Tomahawk design features

The Tomahawk is designed to operate at very low altitudes while maintaining high-subsonic speeds. Its modular design enables the integration of numerous types of warheads, guidance and control systems.

The missile carries a nuclear or conventional payload. It can be armed with a nuclear or unitary warhead or a conventional submunitions dispenser with combined-effect bomblets. The missile has a 5.56m length, 51.8cm diameter and a 2.67m wingspan. The weight of the missile is 1,315kg. It has a life span of 30 years.

The Tomahawk weapon system includes the Tomahawk missile, Theatre Mission Planning Centre (TMPC) / Afloat Planning System and the Tomahawk weapon control system (TWCS) for surface vessels or combat control system (CCS) for submarines.

Guidance and control

The Tomahawk Block IV uses GPS navigation and a satellite data-link to continue through a pre-set course. The missile can be reprogrammed in-flight to a new target.

The two-way satellite communications are used to perform post-launch mission changes throughout the flight. The on-board camera provides imagery of the target to the commanders before the strike.

The guidance system is assisted by Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM). The Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation (DSMAC) system or GPS provide terminal guidance.

The Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System (TTWCS) integrated within the ship’s systems computes the path to engage targets. The system enables the planning of new missions on board the launch vessel. TTWCS is also used to communicate with multiple missiles for reassigning the targets and redirecting the missiles in flight.

The Block IV Tomahawk missile is outfitted with advanced electronic support measure (ESM) seeker in Block IV Tomahawk missile. Its joint multi-effects warhead enables the commander to control the blast.

The Tomahawk Block IV missile is powered by a Williams International F415 cruise turbo-fan engine and ARC MK 135 rocket motor. The propulsion provides a subsonic speed of 880km/h.

Tomahawk launch platforms

The missile can be launched from over 140 US Navy ships and submarines and Astute and Trafalgar class submarines of the Royal Navy. All cruisers, destroyers, guided missile and attack submarines in the US Navy are equipped with a Tomahawk weapons system.

US Navy launch platforms were modified to accommodate upgraded Tomahawk missile variants. Four Ohio class nuclear ballistic missile submarines were converted into cruise missile submarines for firing Tomahawk missiles. The Virginia class submarines and the Royal Navy Astute class submarines were also fitted with new vertical launch modules for Tomahawk missile.

Tomahawk orders and deliveries

The US signed a foreign military sales (FMS) agreement with the UK in 1995 to supply 65 Tomahawks for use with the Royal Navy nuclear submarines. The first batch of missiles was delivered in 1998.

The US Government approved an agreement in 2003 to deliver 65 Tomahawk Block IV missiles for the UK. In August 2004, the US Navy placed a $1.6bn multi-year procurement contract with Raytheon for 2,200 Tomahawk Block IV missiles.

Raytheon was awarded a $346m production contract for 473 Tomahawk Block IV cruise missiles in March 2006. The contract includes 65 submarine torpedo tube-launched missiles for the Royal Navy. The Block IV entered service with the Royal Navy in March 2008.

Raytheon was awarded a $207m-worth firm-fixed-price contract in March 2009 for 207 Tomahawk Block IV All-Up-Round (AUR) missiles.

The 2,000th Tomahawk Block IV missile was delivered to the US Navy in February 2010.

The US Navy placed a $338m contract with Raytheon in June 2012 for the delivery of 361 Tomahawk Block IV tactical cruise missiles. Another contract worth $254.6m was awarded for Tomahawk Block IV in the same year.

Raytheon delivered the 3,000th Tomahawk Block IV to the US Navy in January 2014 as part of the ninth Block IV production contract.

The US Navy awarded a $251m contract to Raytheon for the production and delivery of Tomahawk Block IV missiles for both the US Navy and Royal Navy in September 2014.

A $25.9m contract for Tomahawk missile composite capsule launching systems (C/CLS) was awarded in December 2014. The C/CLS is integrated with the nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines and nuclear-powered guided-missile submarines, allowing the missile to be launched from submarines.

Tomahawk Block IV missile demonstrated its moving target capability in tests conducted in February 2015.

Raytheon received a $122m contract from the US Navy in March 2015 for the production of 114 Tomahawk Block IV all-up round missiles. Raytheon conducted an active seeker test flight for the Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile in January 2016.

The 4,000th Tomahawk Block IV missile was delivered to the US Navy in August 2017. The US Navy warships and submarines launched 66 GPS-enabled Tomahawk missiles at Syrian chemical weapon facilities in 2018.

Raytheon planned to undertake recertification and modernisation programmes for Tomahawk Block IV missile in 2019 to add maritime strike capability and multiple-effects warhead upgrades to the missiles.

Raytheon received a $349m contract for phase two of the Maritime Strike Tomahawk Rapid Deployment Capability to improve the Tomahawk cruise missile system in August 2019. Work will be executed in various locations across the US until February 2023.

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This Is Not Your Father’s Tomahawk Cruise Missile

The new Block V can run down enemy ships and blast them with a half-ton high explosive warhead.

Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Why Trust Us?

• The new missiles can attack enemy ships at sea or land targets with a new multi-effect warhead.
• The Tomahawk design is nearly half a century old but with the help of rolling upgrades has remained a viable weapon system.

The Tomahawk cruise missile, one of the oldest missiles in U.S. military service, is set to receive a new set of capabilities designed to help keep potential enemies in check.

➡ You love badass military tech. So do we. Let's nerd out over it together.

The missile’s new Block V configuration will include both new anti-shipping and land attack variants, boosting the capabilities of the U.S. Navy surface warships that carry them.

The Tomahawk is one of the most effective missiles in the Pentagon’s history. The missile, which General Dynamics first designed in the 1970s, was one of the first truly effective cruise missiles. Unlike traditional missiles that use rocket motors, fly high altitudes, and travel at Mach 2+ speeds, cruise missiles use turbojet engines, fly at low altitudes, and travel at subsonic speeds.

Most missiles are designed to sprint to their targets; Tomahawk is designed to run a marathon. Engineers chose a liquid fuel-sipping turbojet engine because it enabled greater range than a rocket engine of roughly the same size. A slower speed also makes low altitude flight more viable, which in turn makes the missile much more difficult to detect by radar. Today, most advanced countries operate similar low-flying subsonic missiles, including Russia, China, France, and South Korea.

Despite its age, the Tomahawk has stayed in the game through a series of progressive upgrades. The original Block I version included both nuclear-tipped and anti-ship versions of the missile. Block II introduced land attack capabilities, like those demonstrated during the 1991 Gulf War, with missiles striking Iraqi Air Force airfields and daytime targets across the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Block III added GPS, eliminating a time-consuming programming system that required 80 hours to plot a missile’s course as well as a loitering capability.

Block IV Tomahawks added more features, including the ability to be re-routed to new targets in mid-flight. Block IV missiles also feature a camera and datalink, allowing a missile to send imagery back to friendly forces. If a Tomahawk discovers its target already struck or civilians are crowding the target area, the missile can be re-routed to destroy something else.

Now, Block V is where it gets really interesting.

The newest variant adds upgraded navigation and communications gear to older Tomahawks, electronics that, according to Defense News , make it easier to work through electronic warfare jamming and more difficult for enemy radars to detect. That’s important, because once detected, subsonic cruise missiles are relatively easy to shoot down. Block V then forks into two missiles, Block Va and Block Vb.

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Block Va essentially turns the cruise missile into an anti-ship missile. Also known as Maritime Strike Tomahawk, Block Va adds a seeker kit, including sensor, giving it the ability to strike moving targets at sea at ranges in excess of 1,000 miles. It’s not clear if Block Va can still strike land targets.

Block Vb is more oriented toward striking land targets with the new Joint Multiple Effects Warhead (MEWS). The weapon is a bit mysterious, but it seems to be a 1,000-pound warhead capable of striking both surface and underground hardened targets, including “integrated air defense systems and weapons of mass destruction” .

The great thing about Block V is that, unlike the Navy’s current anti-ship missile, it doesn’t need separate launchers. Block Vs will fit in any Mk. 41 vertical launch system silo—the same silo that currently carries Standard anti-air missiles, the SM-3 missile interceptor, Evolved Sea Sparrow interceptor missiles, and vertical launch anti-submarine rockets.

Today’s guided missile cruisers carry 122 silos, while destroyers carry between 90 and 96 silos. Theoretically, a cruiser could carry up to 122 Block Va missiles, though a more rounded mix of all of the above is preferred. Block V will also arm U.S. Navy submarines.

Like a lot of weapons in America’s arsenal, the Tomahawk missile is old—at least in concept. What started out as a nuclear-capable missile can now hunt down warships at 1,000 miles and attack hardened underground targets. The missile’s ability to adapt with the times, take on new roles, and reinvent itself means it will be a potent weapon system for easily another decade to come.

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Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he's generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News , and others. He lives in San Francisco.

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USMC Discusses Land-Based Tomahawk Missile Launchers

The u.s. army and u.s. marine corps (usmc) are moving closer to fielding land-based tomahawk cruise missiles launched from tractor-trailers. the u.s. navy awarded a $217 million contract on may 24, 2022 for 154 tomahawk block v cruise missiles with 70 missiles going to the u.s. navy, 54 going to the usmc, and 30 to the army. the army and usmc will have their missiles fired from trailers whereas the navy will have them fired from their mark 41 vls cells. naval news inquired the u.s. marines for more information..

Peter Ong 09 Jun 2022

Kelly Flynn, Public Affairs Specialist, U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command replied to Naval News’ inquiry at the end of May 2022 as to what kind of launcher the Marines will use for Tomahawk missiles on their trailers.

“The Marine Corps is using a derivative of the MK41 launcher.  For security reasons, that information [the number of missiles per trailer] cannot be disclosed at this time.” Kelly Flynn, Public Affairs Specialist, Marine Corps Systems Command

Asked on if the Mark 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells on the trailers will fire anything else besides the Tomahawk Block V cruise missiles, Flynn replied, “The Marine Corps’ Long Range Fires program is only integrating the Tomahawk weapon system at this time.” Naval News has covered the Marine Corps’ quest in pursuing Land-based Tomahawk cruise missiles here .

At that time on June 21, 2021, the Marines requested 48+ Tomahawk missiles as part of their “Unfunded Priority List.”  The Marines were actually budgeted 54 Tomahawk Block Vs in May 2022, six more missiles than they desired.

Naval News Comments

The USMC did not have any photos to share of their trailer launcher although photos do exist online showing a potential working Mark 41 VLS trailer cell prototype.  Thus, the number of Tactical Land-Attack Missile (TLAM) Block V Tomahawks will most likely be four missiles per trailer. 

The U.S. Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) has a graphic slide showing the intended setup of the TLAMs on a trailer (see top photo) and this seems to coincide with a Naval News image showing a very similar setup (see photo below).  The trailer changes to have three axles instead of two, most likely a 34-ton M872 trailer.

Although the RCCTO graphic is an U.S. Army setup, the graphic shows a firing battery of four trailers with four Mark 41 VLS launch cells on each trailer for a total of 16 Tomahawk TLAM missiles per battery. There is the Battery Operations Center (BOC) trailer with electronics, Command staff, communications and firing controls, a BOC Support Vehicle (most likely a HMMWV towing a power generator), a reload flatbed trailer with eight Tomahawk missile containers, and the associated Prime Mover tractors. 

For the USMC, the Prime Mover will most likely be the Logistics Vehicle System Replacement (LVSR) tractor whereas the U.S. Army will use the M983A4 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) as the Prime Mover.

For speculative discussion purposes , if the Mark 41 VLS cells can be transported on land, does that mean that the entire Mark 41 VLS missile inventory can also be fired from land?  Such a missile inventory includes the Standard family of missiles, the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) the Anti-Submarine Rocket (ASROC), and in the future, the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) that might get a VLS booster. If so, the ESSM and Standard can provide the USMC a Surface-to-Air and Surface-to-Surface striking capability at much higher speeds besides just using subsonic Tomahawk, providing Surface Strike and Anti-Air capabilities packed into one trailer (four ESSMs can fit into one Mark 41 VLS cell in a Mark 25 Quad-Pack).

The U.S. Army seems to be fielding the SM-6 Standard missile family, which may include some form of Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) if networked with the proper “Sensor-to-shooter Kill Chain Web.”

The Mark 41 trailers with the missile canisters and launchers are transportable via C-130 “Hercules” cargo plane whereas the entire setup of the Mark 41 tractor-trailer can be transported by the future Light Amphibious Warship (LAW) if so desired.

The concept of firing Tomahawk cruise missiles from land-based trailers has taken several years to come into funding, acquisition, and fruition.  Nonetheless, deals and treaties with allied hosting nations for setting up and firing these U.S. Army and USMC Mark 41 trailer missiles still need to be sorted out and signed into the agreement.

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US Navy Confirms Tomahawk Block V Designation

On January 28, the U.S. Navy confirmed the Block V designation for the next variant of the Tomahawk cruise missile . The mid-life recertification of the Block IV Tactical Tomahawk and its modernization program began at the start of FY 2019. IHS Jane’s reports that the goal of the Tomahawk’s modernization is to “replace and recertify life-limited components allowing an additional 15 years of service life.” The new Block V will introduce the antiship Maritime Strike Tomahawk (MST) sub-variant and Joint Multiple Effects Warhead System (JMEWS) upgrades.

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USN confirms Block V designation for modernised Tomahawk cruise missile , IHS Jane’s

The Pentagon seeks to stock up on Tomahawks and other tactical missiles in $842 billion budget

The US military would need a lot of munitions in a war against China or Russia.

By Jeff Schogol | Published Mar 13, 2023 10:40 AM EDT

• Tech & Tactics

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has underscored that the U.S. military would need an astronomical amount of ordnance in a war against a near-peer adversary, so the Pentagon has devoted $30.6 billion of its proposed $842 billion budget for the 2024 fiscal year specifically for tactical missiles and other munitions.

That would represent a $5.8 billion increase in funding for munitions from the Pentagon’s fiscal 2023 budget, according to the Defense Department. Of the $30.6 billion, $17.1 billion would go to purchasing tactical missiles, such as Tomahawks; $7.3 billion would fund strategic missiles; and $5.6 billion would buy new ammunition.

The Defense Department plans to spend nearly 50% more on munitions than it requested from Congress five years ago, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks told reporters on Monday.

“Almost one-third of our munitions dollars are specifically for long-range fires to increase procurement and improve the capability of not only hypersonic missiles, but also our most lethal and survivable subsonic weapons, including those we’ve been buying at or near maximum capacity for several years,” Hicks said at a Pentagon news briefing. “This latest budget expands capacity even more and procures the maximum amount of munitions that are most relevant for deterring, and if necessary, prevailing over aggression in the Indo-Pacific, such as the Tomahawk cruise missile and its latest maritime strike variant, the Extend-Range Joint Air-to-Surface standoff missile , or the JASSM-ER; the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, or the LRASM; and the anti-ship capable SM-6 missile, among others.”

For fiscal 2024, the Air Force plans to buy 27 LRASMs, and the Navy would buy 91 of the missiles, according to Defense Department budget documents.

The Center for Strategic Studies think tank in Washington, D.C., recently held a wargame that looked at how the U.S. military could defeat a Chinese invasion of Taiwan . One of CSIS’s recommendations was that the Defense Department needs more long-range anti-ship cruise missiles, such as the LRASM and JASSM-ER.

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Separately, the Center for a New American Security think tank has determined that the number LRASMS that the Navy and Air Force are expected to have by 2027 — when senior military leaders have said China could attempt to invade Taiwan — would be “grossly inadequate ” to defeat a Chinese invasion force, Stacie Pettyjohn, director of the defense program at CNAS, told Task & Purpose last year.

The Chinese navy currently has about 350 ships, but it would likely use many commercial ships to transport troops and supplies as part of an invasion of Taiwan, Pettyjohn told Task & Purpose on Monday.

“The US needs enough anti-ship missiles to exhaust and penetrate PLAN [People’s Liberation Army Navy] air defenses, which will attrite a lot of the missiles, as well as to damage or destroy the bulk of the fleet,” Pettyjohn said on Monday. “JASSM-ER isn’t going to be as helpful because it is intended to hit fixed targets not moving ships.”

However, most of the money for tactical missiles would fund new Tomahawks in part because the LRASM and other air-and sea-launched missiles are still being developed so they are not ready for mass production, said senior military and defense officials, who briefed reporters on Friday.

The increase in funding for tactical missiles is not meant to replenish the U.S. military’s stockpile of munitions that have been provided to Ukraine, said a senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity under rules established by the Pentagon.

“These are more for the broader strategy for a higher-end fight,” a senior defense official told reporters on Friday. “They’re not ground munitions. You’ll see Naval Strike Missiles , Standard Missiles, AMRAAM [Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles], things like that.”

All these munitions are intended for the U.S. military, not Ukraine, the senior defense official said, adding that any additional artillery shells, rockets and missiles that the Defense Department might provide to Ukraine would be paid for by supplemental funding.

The Defense Department is also working with Congress and the Office of Management and Budget as part of separate efforts to increase production of weapons systems that the U.S. military has provided to Ukraine, including Patriot missiles and Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System munitions , the senior defense official said.

“Those are, what I would call, works in progress,” said the senior defense official, who explained that increases in funding for such weapons systems are not included in the proposed fiscal 2024 budget.

So far, the U.S. military assistance to Ukraine has included more than 1 million rounds for 155mm howitzers along with High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems , Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs, High-speed Anti-radiation missiles, and Harpoon anti-ship missiles, according to the Defense Department.

The U.S. military expects to increase its stocks of tactical missiles and other munitions over the next few years because the defense industry needs time to meet the Defense Department’s needs, the senior defense official said.

“It can’t be done overnight; and in many cases, what we have here is about as fast as we think we can go,” the senior defense official said.

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Jeff Schogol is a senior staff writer for Task & Purpose. He has covered the military for 15 years, with previous bylines at the Express-Times in Easton, Pennsylvania, Stars & Stripes, and Military Times. You can email him at [email protected], direct message @JeffSchogol on Twitter, or reach him on WhatsApp and Signal at 703-909-6488. Contact the author here.

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