{"id":63911,"date":"2023-03-16T21:07:50","date_gmt":"2023-03-16T21:07:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2023\/03\/16\/demand-exploding-for-tomahawk-missiles-as-us-backs-latest-foreign-sale\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:51:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:51:14","slug":"demand-exploding-for-tomahawk-missiles-as-us-backs-latest-foreign-sale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2023\/03\/16\/demand-exploding-for-tomahawk-missiles-as-us-backs-latest-foreign-sale\/","title":{"rendered":"Demand exploding for Tomahawk missiles as US backs latest foreign sale"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2015 Australia plans to buy the latest version of America\u2019s long-range Tomahawk land attack missile in a $985 million deal announced Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the latest in a surge of demand for the Raytheon Technologies-made Tomahawk, after U.S. Navy officials said<\/a> this week their proposed budget, with foreign military sales, would max out the production line. Japan\u2019s new budget <\/a>would reportedly bulk-buy 400 Tomahawks for as much as $1.6 billion, among other counterstrike capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The State Department approved a U.S.-Australia deal for up to 200 Block V and 20 Block IV rounds, plus related support, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canberra has said the missiles would be fielded on its Hobart-class destroyers, enabling them to strike land targets at greater distances, with better precision. Variants of the Block V can change targets in flight and strike moving targets at sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tomahawk\u2019s range of more than 1,000 miles is especially important in the Asia-Pacific region, where China\u2019s rocket force has extraordinary reach as its DF-26 and DF-21 missiles have ranges of 2,490 and 1,335 miles respectively, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\t