US Military Updates & Discussions

Parthu said:
Going further, AMRAAM & LRASM production rate is also being doubled from current levels:

breakingdefense.com

Air Force, Space Force seek $16B extra for FY26 ‘unfunded priorities’ - Breaking Defense

The services’ unfunded requests, obtained by Breaking Defense, reflect sharp increases compared to last year.
breakingdefense.com breakingdefense.com

"...While most of the specific details underlying each munitions request is excluded due to classification, the document does explain the separate requests for the air-to-air AMRAAM and ship-killer LRASM, which shares a common airframe with the JASSM missile used against land-based targets. According to the UPL, $738 million for AMRAAM would be able to expand the weapon’s production to 2,400 rounds annually by FY28 and address obsolescence issues, whereas $800 million for LRASM/JASSM would double production from 1,100 to 2,200 rounds per year by FY30. The Air Force would use $200 million of that $800 million pot to secure a second engine source, the document says."

This reinforces what I said before - the current US stocks of missiles are only good enough for a deterrence posture, and entirely insufficient for a full-blown war with China. They're planning on increasing the production rate of PAC-3 MSE from the current ~500 rounds/year (as of 2024) to around ~650/year by 2027, and possibly more afterward. This 30% increase in rate so far is in keeping with the ~300% increase in requirement of PAC-3 stocks from the current 3,700 rounds to nearly 14,000 rounds.

Meanwhile, the production rate of AMRAAM & LRASM is being increased by 100% by 2030...so you can imagine how much higher the total requirement of those rounds may have gone up. Watch this space.
Click to expand...

Patriot PAC-3 production rate to be further increased to 750/year by 2027:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1945544465566896405
 
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www.defensenews.com

Army to grow air defense force by 30%

The Army will add new Patriot battalions, Indirect Fire Protection Capability battalions and counter-drone batteries to the mix.
www.defensenews.com www.defensenews.com

The U.S. Army is planning to grow its air and missile defense force by 30%, according to the commander of the service’s Space and Missile Defense Command.

In addition to adding three Patriot battalions equipped with the Lower-Tier Air-and-Missile Defense Sensor, or LTAMDS, radar, the service will also add five Indirect Fire Protection Capability battalions and seven Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems batteries, Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey said Tuesday at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama.
 
The US Army deployed the Typhon medium-range missile system for the first time at Marine Corps Base Iwakuni as part of the annual bilateral Resolute Dragon exercises in Japan. The US-Japan Resolute Dragon exercises will be held in Japan from September 11 to 25. The Typhoon system is designed to launch Standard Missile-6 and Tomahawk cruise missiles, which can be armed with nuclear warheads and have a range of approximately 2,000 kilometers. The system's deployment in Japan is temporary and limited to the maneuvers.

 
www.defensenews.com

US Army awards Lockheed record $9.8 billion missile contract

The multiyear contract is the largest in the history of Lockheed Martin's Missiles & Fire Control business.
www.defensenews.com www.defensenews.com

The U.S. Army awarded Lockheed Martin a $9.8 billion multiyear contract to produce nearly 2,000 of the most advanced variant of the Patriot air and missile defense missile, the service announced in a Wednesday joint signing ceremony at Lockheed’s Grand Prairie, Texas, facility.

“PAC-3 MSE’s recent combat performance solidified it as a must-have capability for America and its allies around the world,” Jason Reynolds, Lockheed’s vice president for Integrated Air and Missile Defense, said in a company statement. “With this contract, we’ll be delivering record numbers of PAC-3 MSE for years to come.”
 
American company Allen Control Systems unveiled the SearchCam anti-drone system, designed to detect and neutralize UAVs. The SearchCam air defense system is equipped with 16 conventional and thermal imaging cameras, allowing it to detect targets in passive mode. It operates in conjunction with the automated Bullfrog turret. The SearchCam air defense system is an alternative to active air defense systems, as it lacks radar emissions, allowing it to operate closer to the front lines.

 
US President Donald Trump announced the launch of a large-scale construction program for the "Golden Fleet" and the Trump-class battleships. The new ships will be the largest in the history of the US Navy and will be equipped with hypersonic weapons, lasers, and capable of carrying nuclear weapons, cruise missiles, and railguns. It is worth noting that the last American battleship, the USS Wisconsin, an Iowa-class battleship, was decommissioned and transferred to a museum in 2006. The Iowa-class ships were decommissioned after World War II and periodically returned to service for service in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The first of the new battleships will be named USS Defiant. The construction is planned to cost $26 billion. The photo shows the armament of the future battleships. Two ships will be built initially, with plans to build up to 25 battleships in the future. The displacement of the American battleships will be approximately 30,000-40,000 tons. By comparison, the Russian nuclear-powered cruiser Pyotr Velikiy (Project 1144M) displaces 25,860 tons. In addition to the new class of battleships, the "Golden Fleet" envisions increasing the number of other types of warships and building 15 submarines, including a more compact and maneuverable class of frigates, previously announced by the US Navy.

 
The United States allegedly used LUCAS (Low-Cost Unmanned Aerial System) drones for the first time during Operation Absolute Resolve in Venezuela on January 3. Published videos show the drones' distinctive engine sound, similar to that of Iranian Shahed-136 drones or Russian Geran-2 drones. There is no official information yet from the US Department of War. LUCAS kamikaze drones were developed by the American company SpektreWorks and were first shown in July 2025. LUCAS drones are believed to be based on the FLM 136 target drone, previously shown by SpektreWorks. LUCAS drones can perform reconnaissance, operate in a swarm, or serve as a communications relay. The alleged technical specifications of LUCAS drones include: The drone's payload is 18 kg, with some estimates suggesting up to 50 kg. Flight time is up to 6 hours, at speeds up to 185 km/h. The drone's range is up to 650 km at altitudes up to 5,500 meters. It's worth noting that LUCAS drones are currently inferior in performance to the Geranium-2 drone. The estimated price of a LUCAS drone is $35,000-40,000.

 
Footage of the collision between the American destroyer Truxtun DDG-103 and the supply ship USNS Supply T-AOE-6 during refueling. The video was filmed on February 11 in the Caribbean Sea during UNREP exercises, presumably near Cuba. Judging by the video, the destroyer Truxtun DDG-103 approached the supply ship USNS Supply at an excessively steep angle.

 
Footage of Tomahawk cruise missile launches and flights by US Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in the Persian Gulf during Operation Epic Fury. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, with a displacement of up to 9,700 tons, are widely considered among the best guided missile destroyers. The destroyer can carry up to 56 BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles, with a range of up to 2,500 km.

 
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