The US burned through more of its limited Tomahawk stockpile in strikes on Iran. It might need them in a war with China.

• The United States launched Tomahawk cruise missiles as part of an attack on Iran on Saturday.

• Tomahawks have been heavily used in recent conflicts, raising concerns about stockpile pressure.

• In a conflict with an adversary like China, these missiles would be crucial.

U.S. Navy warships fired Tomahawk missiles in an attack on Iran on Saturday, depleting more of the limited stockpile the U.S. military may need in a conflict with better-equipped adversaries such as China.

The Tomahawk is a cruise missile whose long range and precise targeting have made it the U.S. weapon of choice in recent operations in the Middle East. They are also considered necessary for any potential high-intensity conflict in the Indo-Pacific region, where long-range firepower is seen as critical.

U.S. officials and experts worry that Tomahawk stockpiles are being depleted after being used on targets in Nigeria, Yemen, Iran and now Iran — and that the U.S. could be at risk of running out of stock if it went to war with an adversary like China.

However, efforts are underway to increase production. As part of a new deal with the Pentagon, RTX said this month it would work to increase annual production of Tomahawk missiles to more than 1,000 as part of a multi-year effort.

A U.S. official told Business Insider that the Tomahawk cruise missile was part of a variety of weapons, including drones, that struck Iran in Saturday’s Operation Epic Fury. U.S. Central Command later released video of the launch.

U.S. warships fired Tomahawk missiles at Iranian targets, while ground forces used High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss military developments. The official did not specify how many Tomahawks were fired or where they were targeted.

According to an analysis of U.S. military deployments in the Middle East by the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, before the start of Operation Epic Fury, the United States established a large-scale military presence in and around the Middle East, including 13 naval destroyers that can launch 150 to 250 Tomahawk missiles if all are within strike range.

If the U.S. action includes converting one of the four Ohio-class submarines to carry cruise missiles, that would add a total of 154 Tomahawk submarines. It was unclear whether the U.S. attack included guided missile submarines.

Operation Epic Fury was the latest battle in which the United States used tomahawks. This follows last summer’s Operation Midnight Hammer, which targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities, and years of strikes against Houthi rebel targets in Yemen. In December, sites in Nigeria linked to Islamic State affiliates were also hit with Tomahawk fire.

During these operations and military campaigns, U.S. officials emphasized the importance of tomahawks in the U.S. arsenal and the need to increase production.

Last May, then-Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby testified before the House Appropriations Committee that “precision-guided long-range munitions like Tomahawks, long-range anti-ship missiles, heavy-duty torpedoes, heavy-duty torpedoes, all those munitions that we need to increase production of,” adding that if current production lines are insufficient, it may be necessary to find other alternatives.

The high-performance BGM-109 Tomahawk land attack missile is manufactured by RTX Corporation and has been in service since the early 1980s. The estimated price of each jet-powered subsonic cruise missile is approximately $1.3 million. They rely on a variety of guidance systems to find targets, including GPS and cameras that compare strike points to uploaded reference maps. Tomahawk range depends on the model.

The Tomahawk missile is a combat-proven weapon that has been used by the U.S. military many times for long-range precision strikes, often firing multiple missiles at a single target to ensure destruction. The Tomahawk missile is relatively slow compared to ballistic missiles, but its maneuverability is designed to evade defenses near its target.

As RTX notes on its website, the United States and its allies have used the missile more than 2,350 times in combat environments.

The pace of spending varies with military operations. During Operation Midnight Hammer, an Ohio-class guided missile submarine fired approximately 30 Tomahawk missiles at Iranian nuclear facilities. In strikes against the Houthis, the United States launched more than 135 such missiles. In December 2025, more than a dozen Tomahawk missiles were launched at ISIS-related targets in Nigeria.

U.S. Tomahawk use appears to outpace purchases. In fiscal year 2025, the Navy budget request plans to purchase 72 Tomahawks, and by fiscal year 2026, that number drops to 57. Producing the Tomahawk can take up to two years, further exacerbating constraints on missile inventories.

Tomahawks are primarily launched from U.S. Navy warships and submarines, often with ranges well in excess of 800 miles. A new U.S. Army program called Typhon could also launch Tomahawk missiles from mobile land-based launchers, which could deepen the need for ammunition.

Mackenzie Eaglen, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote in a 2024 analysis that “success in the next war will require our combat forces to have robust arsenals and greater magazine depth.”

“During Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, the U.S. military fired approximately 800 ground attack Tomahawks during the initial invasion. At today’s production rate, it will take us a decade to replenish them. Fighting China will definitely require more weapons – and Beijing knows this,” she said.

Wars with adversaries like China have become a benchmark for munitions levels because U.S. officials believe the U.S. military needs to destroy large numbers of Chinese weapons, especially long-range land-based missiles.

Wargaming and analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in early 2023 showed that the U.S. industrial base was not prepared to sustain the scale of production needed to fight China, with recent conflicts adding to the pressure. While some U.S. allies, such as Japan, are also purchasing Tomahawks, concerns remain about how many would be needed if a conflict breaks out in the Indo-Pacific.

“If we went to war with China, it would be bloody, there would be casualties, and it would consume a lot of ammunition,” Kilby said last year. “So our inventories need to be adequate.”

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