First purchase of hypersonic missiles, AGM-158C LRASM, AIM-120 AMRAAM, AIM-9X Sidewinder and AGM-114 Hellfire - US Navy wants to invest $6.9bn in weapons acquisition

The US Navy is preparing for a massive investment in armaments in fiscal year 2024. The service is requesting $6.9 billion in the draft defence budget.

Here's What We Know

The plan for the next fiscal year does not include a dramatic increase in the number of missiles. That said, the US Navy will order Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic missiles for the first time in anticipation of integration onto Zumwalt-class destroyers in 2025.

The service wants to purchase 81 AGM-158C LRASM anti-ship missiles and 10 AGM-158C-3 LRASM-ER extended-range missiles. The most to be procured will be AIM-120 AMRAAM, AGM-179 JAGM and AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles - 374, 264 and 147 respectively.

The draft budget for next fiscal year indicates 250 GBU-53/B StormBreaker bombs, 40 AGM-114 Hellfire missiles (configuration not specified) and 84 AGM-88G AARGM-ER extended-range missiles.

In addition, the US Navy will offer five-year contracts to Lockheed Martin for LRASM missiles and Raytheon for AMRAAM, Naval Strike Missile and Standard Missile. The service will increase the volume of MK 48 torpedoes from 28 to 71, but will suspend the purchase of Tomahawk. Instead of acquiring new cruise missiles, the US Navy wants to invest in upgrading more than 700 existing missiles.

Source: Defence News