The Department of War and the U.S. Navy awarded RTX Corporation a $22.9 billion contract to rapidly scale production of the Tomahawk cruise missile on Aug. 17.
The contract is designed to accelerate U.S. long-range strike capability as the administration intensifies its deterrence posture against peer-competitor threats, according to a joint announcement from the Department of War and the Navy.
The Tomahawk is a subsonic, long-range, all-weather cruise missile used by the Navy and allied forces in high-priority strike missions. It has been a cornerstone of U.S. power projection since it was first deployed operationally during the 1991 Gulf War.
The scale of the award reflects growing Pentagon concern about the adequacy of U.S. munitions stockpiles. Defense officials and analysts have warned for years that the U.S. industrial base cannot produce precision-guided weapons quickly enough to sustain a prolonged conflict with a near-peer adversary such as China or Russia.
A contract of this magnitude will require RTX to expand manufacturing capacity, potentially creating thousands of defense-sector jobs across its supply chain. The company operates Tomahawk production facilities in multiple states.
The award also carries implications for allied nations. Several U.S. treaty partners, including Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom, have purchased or expressed interest in acquiring Tomahawk missiles for their own defense forces, and increased U.S. production capacity could accelerate foreign military sales.
The Department of War described the contract as directly tied to the administration’s broader defense modernization strategy, which has prioritized munitions production as a top-tier national security requirement.
Congressional defense appropriators have signaled bipartisan support for increased missile procurement in recent budget cycles. The House and Senate Armed Services Committees have each included provisions in recent authorization bills designed to accelerate precision munitions production.
RTX Corporation, formerly known as Raytheon Technologies, is one of the five largest U.S. defense contractors by revenue.