US defence firms agree to ramp up weapons production as Washington expands war arsenal
According to the US military’s Central Command (Centcom), Operation Epic Fury has drawn on more than 20 distinct weapons systems across air, sea, land and missile defence forces
Highlights
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US firms RTX, Lockheed, Boeing, Northrop quadruple weapon production
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US military spending $1T (2025), rising to $1.5T (2027), exceeding next nine countries combined
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Operation Epic Fury uses 20+ systems; Tomahawk is main weapon
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PrSM first used from M142 HIMARS; Patriot and THAAD deployed; LUCAS drone debuts ($35K vs MQ-9 $40M)
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B-2, F-22, F-35 strike air targets; USS Abraham Lincoln & Gerald R. Ford lead naval forces
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The biggest defence companies in the United States have agreed to "quadruple production" of what President Donald Trump described as "exquisite class" weaponry after a meeting at the White House.
The meeting on Friday (7 March) was attended by the chief executives of RTX (formerly Raytheon), Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, L3Harris Missile Solutions and Honeywell Aerospace, all of which are sitting on billions of dollars in order backlogs, some of which dwarf the gross domestic products (GDPs) of several nations.
The US is already the world's largest military spender at nearly $1 trillion in 2025, exceeding the combined total of the next nine countries. Trump aims to increase this amount to $1.5 trillion by 2027.
According to the US military's Central Command (Centcom), Operation Epic Fury has drawn on more than 20 distinct weapons systems across air, sea, land and missile defence forces.
Missiles and missile systems
The Tomahawk missile has been the Pentagon's long-range strike weapon of choice for three decades. The missiles travel at subsonic speeds, hugging terrain at low altitude to avoid radar detection. They have been fired from Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in the Arabian Sea, with each destroyer capable of carrying more than 90 Tomahawks.
The US has also launched the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) for the first time against Iranian targets from M-142 HIMARS systems in desert terrain. The short-range ballistic missile is capable of hitting targets 402km (250 miles) away.
On the defensive side, Patriot missile batteries and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems have been positioned to intercept Iran's retaliatory strikes, with Patriots handling shorter-range cruise missiles and low-altitude threats while THAAD intercepts ballistic missiles at higher altitudes during the final phase of their descent.
Drones
The assault on Iran has also seen the debut of the Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS), a one-way attack drone built by SpektreWorks and modelled on Iran's own Shahed drone.
At $35,000 per unit, LUCAS represents a shift towards cheaper, more expendable munitions. It costs far less than the MQ-9 Reaper drone, which has also been deployed and costs up to $40m per aircraft to manufacture. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it shot down a Reaper on March 1.
Air strikes and reconnaissance
The US is using B-1 bombers, B-2 stealth bombers, F-15 fighter jets, F-22 Raptor jets and F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters to strike Iranian ballistic missile facilities and underground bunkers using 900kg (2,000lb) bombs.
According to local news sources, EA-18G Growler electronic warfare jets were spotted aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. The aircraft are used to jam enemy radar, communications and missile guidance systems.
The P-8A Poseidon aircraft is also being deployed to carry out surveillance and reconnaissance across sea and land and has been detected circling the Strait of Hormuz, according to flight path data.
Last month, the US Air Force deployed E-3 Sentry AWACS radar aircraft to the Middle East, providing real-time battlefield awareness. RC-135 spy planes, including Cobra Ball and Rivet Joint variants, have also been flying intelligence-gathering missions from bases in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Naval assets
The USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carriers have anchored US naval presence in the Arabian Sea and Mediterranean, respectively, while Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers provide offensive firepower and missile defence through their Aegis systems.
