The Pentagon has reportedly asked its weapons makers to dramatically ramp up production of several devastating missiles as the fear of a war with China looms.
Military leaders are believed to have already requested that defense contractors double and possibly quadruple their inventory of roughly a dozen key weapons, including Patriot missile interceptors, anti-ship missiles, and precision bombs.
The Trump Administration has repeatedly warned that the US could soon need to respond to China, amid growing economic tensions and the threat of the superpower invading Taiwan.
However, Department of War officials have been sounding the alarm of dwindling missile supplies for years, due to America’s support of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
According to the Wall Street Journal, this has led Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg to start calling on major defense companies to invest heavily in missile production, despite not having a new contract for this still-hypothetical war.
The massive order includes new supplies of THAAD interceptors used by the US Army to destroy ballistic missiles, SM-6 missiles used by the Navy to knock out ships, drones, and enemy missiles, and the Precision Strike Missiles used against high-value targets.
The Trump Administration’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill,’ signed into law in July, set aside approximately $25 billion over five years for new spending on munitions.
However, the initial estimates of this new weapons order would cost much more over the next two years.
The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Interceptor is used to shoot down missiles that may be targeting US cities
The Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) is carried by the US Navy and Air Force to target and sink enemy fleets at sea
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told the Wall Street Journal: ‘President Trump and Secretary Hegseth are exploring extraordinary avenues to expand our military might and accelerate the production of munitions.’
Part of that effort includes significantly ramping up creation of Patriot missiles, specifically the PAC-3.
The military uses this version of the popular weapon to shoot down enemy missiles or aircraft up to 22 miles away.
Its warhead is small in comparison to other missiles (around 200 pounds) and it’s meant to disable incoming threats, not destroy enemy armies or bases.
Lockheed Martin, the maker of the Patriot missile, have reportedly struggled to keep up with the worldwide demand for these defensive weapons.
Another defensive weapon the Pentagon wants fully stocked in the event of a conflict with China is the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Interceptor.
The THAAD is one of the biggest missiles on the Pentagon’s reported order list, standing roughly 27 feet tall and weighing nearly 2,000 pounds.
The Army uses the THAAD the destroy enemy ballistic missiles at high altitude. With a range of 125 miles, its goal is to prevent weapons of mass destruction from reaching US cities or military bases.
The Patriot missile system is a globally popular defensive weapon used to target incoming missiles and aircraft
The Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) is normally deployed on US Navy vessels for strikes against a variety of targets
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As for America’s terrifying arsenal of offensive weapons, the report revealed that Pentagon officials have called for increased production of the Standard Missile-6, the Precision Strike Missile, Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles, and Joint Air-Surface Standoff missiles.
The Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) is a versatile, multi-role missile used by the Navy for air and missile defense.
These weapons are mainly deployed on the Navy’s fleet of destroyers and cruisers, which would likely be sent to the Pacific Ocean in large numbers during a conflict with China.
The Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) is a precise, long-range artillery missile used by the Army to hit ground targets like enemy troops or radar up to 300 miles away.
It’s designed to replace older systems with faster, more accurate strikes against key targets in a conflict.
The Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) is a stealthy, precision-guided missile used by the Navy and Air Force to destroy enemy ships from over 200 miles away.
It carries a 1,000-pound warhead, ideal for sinking large naval vessels in a Pacific conflict with China’s massive fleet.
The Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) is a long-range cruise missile launched from aircraft to strike land targets like bunkers or buildings up to 1,000 miles away.
Its 1,000-pound warhead makes it highly destructive for hitting critical enemy infrastructure that may be well protected or underground.
The Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) carries a 1,000-pound warhead used for destroying enemy bunkers and bases
Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) are small, long-range weapons which typically target ground forces
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Pentagon, now referred to as the US Department of War, for comment.
Despite the military’s reported desire to ramp up its stockpile of missiles, weapons experts noted that these requests typically need an official government contract before munitions makers start building weapons.
Tom Karako, a munitions expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told WSJ: ‘Companies don’t build these things on spec.’
‘You wait for the government to put them on contract. There needs to be an expression of support with money. It can’t just be words,’ he added.
However, defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have reportedly already added workers and built expansions to their factories in preparation for a possible wartime munitions order.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .