The United States has awarded Raytheon, an RTX company, a landmark $22.9 billion, seven-year contract aimed at dramatically expanding production of Tomahawk cruise missiles as Washington moves to rebuild stocks of precision-guided weapons.
Under the agreement, Raytheon is expected to increase Tomahawk output to more than 1,000 missiles annually, a massive jump from current production levels. Reuters and other international media reports describe the deal as part of a broader US effort to accelerate weapons manufacturing after sustained demand from US operations and military support for allies.
The contract formalises a framework agreement reached in February between Raytheon and the US Department of War. At the time, the company outlined plans to raise annual Tomahawk production beyond 1,000 missiles while also expanding output of other critical weapons, including AMRAAM, SM-3 and SM-6 systems.
The scale of the new commitment underscores Washington’s growing focus on industrial capacity as a core element of national security. Rather than relying solely on existing inventories, the US is pushing defence manufacturers to invest in additional production lines, equipment, facilities and skilled labour capable of sustaining much higher output over several years.
The Tomahawk is among the US Navy’s most important long-range strike weapons. Launched from surface ships and submarines, the missile is designed to deliver precision attacks against land targets from considerable distances and has been used extensively in US military operations. Raytheon says the system has been used operationally more than 2,300 times.
The production surge comes as the United States confronts mounting pressure on its broader munitions inventory. Heavy weapons deliveries to allies, combined with the substantial consumption of precision weapons in recent military operations, have highlighted concerns over how quickly Washington can replenish stocks in the event of a prolonged or simultaneous conflict.
The Tomahawk agreement is therefore bigger than a single missile programme. It forms part of a wider Pentagon strategy to rebuild the US defence-industrial base and give contractors greater certainty to make major long-term investments.
Earlier this year, Raytheon announced that its expanded production programme would include investments in its facilities in Tucson, Arizona, among other manufacturing sites.
The company has also been increasing production of several other high-demand missile systems under multi-year arrangements with the US government.
The broader message from Washington is clear: the era of relying on relatively limited peacetime production capacity is giving way to a sustained effort to manufacture weapons at wartime-relevant scale.
With annual Tomahawk production targeted at more than 1,000 missiles, the new contract represents one of the most significant efforts yet to rapidly expand America’s capacity for long-range precision strike weapons—and signals how deeply recent conflicts are reshaping US defence procurement priorities.
