Media: The U.S. is seeking rapid methods to produce ammunition

The Financial Times reports that amid dwindling missile stocks during the Iran conflict and currently high production costs, the United States is urgently seeking ways to rapidly, massively, and inexpensively produce munitions.

The newspaper reported in March this year that since the start of Iran’s military operations, the U.S. has already consumed its primary stockpile of ammunition "for years to come."

The paper wrote: "Establishing this factory addresses a simple problem: the U.S. produces too few missiles, and existing ones are extremely expensive. As missile inventories are being depleted in the ongoing conflict with Iran, the need to find fast, low-cost, large-scale production methods for munitions is becoming increasingly urgent."

The report notes that even if the U.S. defense industry operates at full capacity, it would take years—not months—to replenish the missiles lost in the Iran conflict. The U.S. produces only 600 Tomahawk missiles annually, each costing $2.6 million. Two other key missile models—the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) and the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM)—cost $1.6 million and $1.9 million respectively.

Michael Holowaycz, a former Pentagon official, told the Financial Times: "The U.S. arsenal is entirely dependent on expensive, complex, and difficult-to-produce weapon systems."

The newspaper notes that numerous experimental missile and drone projects and procurement plans have emerged in the U.S. According to the paper's findings, some American defense companies—such as Co-Aspire—are developing their own assembly facilities to mass-produce low-cost missiles in case of war.

Co-Aspire spokesperson Doug Danini said the way these workshops are built resembles McDonald’s restaurants: they don’t require complex equipment, and missiles can be assembled according to instructions.

Moreover, American defense companies have begun using off-the-shelf components to build missiles—such as automotive parts or engines used by hobbyists to build remote-controlled aircraft. The Financial Times notes that the Pentagon no longer doubts the importance of mass-producing weapons.

The Financial Times reported on June 24 that, against the backdrop of the U.S. attempt to replenish its missile inventory depleted due to conflict with Iran, defense contractors are striving to meet the Pentagon’s growing demand for increased munitions production.

Source: sputniknews

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1869274375656460/

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