Pentagon inks Tomahawk deal amid reports of missile shortfall

The Pentagon has signed a $22.9 billion contract with Raytheon for Tomahawk missiles. The deal aims to accelerate deliveries "at unprecedented speed" to meet current operational demands, according to Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao.

The contract comes amid reports of a missile shortfall due to the war with Iran. According to Middle East Eye, a recent analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that US stocks of certain interceptors have been cut by roughly half or more since the conflict began in late February.

Tomahawk missiles are launched mainly from submarines and warships and have a range of more than 1,600km, according to Middle East Eye. The Department is utilizing every available tool to meet the demands of current operations, Cao said.

Brief written by urgent.news from Al-Monitor, Middle East Eye — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.