The US Department of Defence has awarded a seven-year contract worth $22.9 billion to RTX, a division of Raytheon, which provides for a significant increase in the production of Tomahawk cruise missiles, according to Reuters.
“We have called on the industry to rapidly ramp up munitions production, and RTX is delivering on that… this landmark Tomahawk contract ensures that our service personnel will continue to have the lethal firepower they need,” the agency quoted Acting US Secretary of the Navy Hung Kao as saying on Monday.
The Tomahawk is the main weapon of the US Navy’s surface fleet. The missiles are launched from ships and submarines and provide the capability to deliver high-precision strikes at ground targets over long ranges.
It is noted that the agreement is for seven years and is intended to increase annual Tomahawk production to over 1,000 missiles. Raytheon currently produces around 60 missiles a year.