US ‘too late’ to boost missile production – WSJ

American forces have reportedly used up around half of all Patriot interceptors and more than 1,000 Tomahawks in the Iran war The US faces a major hurdle replenishing key missile stocks after having burned through huge quantities of Tomahawks and Patriot interceptors during the Iran war, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. According to the paper, the manufacturing push is coming “too late,” with the industry hollowed out by years of underinvestment.The US fired more than 1,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Iranian targets, or around one-third of its prewar inventory, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated in late May, adding the stocks are expected to be replenished only by late 2030 or early 2031.CSIS also estimated that Washington has used roughly half of its high-end Patriot interceptors, with the stockpile below 1,000 as of late July. Faced with the shortage, defense contractors are spending billions of dollars on factories and expanded production capacity, but the investment has yet to translate into major gains, the Wall Street Journal reported, adding that the additional missiles will arrive too late to substantially improve US inventories ...