US prepares to use close to entire stealth missile arsenal as Iran strikes intensify - report

Defence affairs - Def-Geopolitics

The United States is preparing to commit nearly its entire inventory of stealthy long-range JASSM-ER cruise missiles to its ongoing military campaign against Iran, Bloomberg reporteds. The missiles are being drawn from stockpiles previously allocated to other regions as part of the next phase of operations.

The US has relied heavily on long-range standoff weapons such as the JASSM-ER in strikes on Iran, in part to limit risks to service members while targeting Iranian infrastructure, the report said.

US and Israeli officials said a significant portion of Iran’s air defense systems has been destroyed, enabling the use of cheaper munitions in some operations. However, recent incidents, including the downing of a US F-15E strike fighter, an A-10 attack aircraft, and damage to rescue helicopters from Iranian fire, highlight continued risks in the theater, Bloomberg reported.

More than 1,000 JASSM-ER missiles were used in the first four weeks of the war, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. The same source added that an additional 47 missiles were used in a separate US operation targeting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The US has funded the procurement of more than 6,200 JASSM missiles since 2009, while production of the baseline version ended about a decade ago, according to the report. Lockheed Martin is scheduled to produce 396 JASSM-ER missiles in 2026, with the capacity to increase output to as many as 860 annually if production lines are fully dedicated.

Committing the missiles to the Iran war does not necessarily mean all will be used, Bloomberg noted, adding that they have so far been launched from B-52 and B-1B bombers as well as strike fighters.

US Central Command and the Department of Defense did not immediately respond to requests for comment, the report said.