US running low on key weapons, rebuilding may take years
JASSM-ER cruise missile (illustrative photo: US Air Force)
The United States has used a large portion of its available stockpile of JASSM-ER stealthy cruise missiles during operations in Iran. Replenishing expended weapons could take years because production rates are insufficient, Bloomberg reports.
According to sources familiar with the operation's confidential details, the United States has already used about two-thirds of its total inventory of JASSM-ER missiles.
In late March, an order was issued to transfer missiles worth $1.5 million each from Pacific bases and facilities in the United States to US Central Command bases or Fairford in the UK.
After the redeployments, the United States will have only about 425 operational JASSM-ER missiles remaining from a prewar stockpile of 2,300. This would be enough for just one large-scale sortie by 17 B-1B bombers.
In the first four weeks of the war alone, US aircraft launched more than 1,000 of these missiles. The JASSM-ER has a range of over 600 miles, allowing it to strike fortified targets deep inside Iran without entering the range of its air defenses.
As a result, the Pentagon's main concern is now the speed of replenishment. Lockheed Martin can produce a maximum of 860 missiles per year, while more than 1,000 were used in just one month of fighting in Iran. Restoring the arsenal could take years, potentially affecting US defense capabilities and its ability to sustain operations involving China.
However, the shortage is not limited to JASSM-ER missiles. Gulf countries have nearly depleted their stocks of missiles for Patriot air defense systems during the US-Israeli operation in Iran.
In addition, in the first four weeks of the war against Iran, the United States has already launched more than 850 Tomahawk missiles. Some Pentagon officials are concerned about how quickly stocks of precision weapons are being depleted.
Overall, estimates say that in just the first 12 days after the start of the operation in Iran, the United States expended stockpiles of precision-guided weapons that had been accumulated over years. Replenishing them will take a long time and come at a very high cost.
