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The U.S. Navy is poised to overhaul its torpedo inventory under the newly-approved congressional budget as the military shifts toward a “two-war” strategy.
Lawmakers made it clear that the U.S. needs to build quantities of undersea weapons sufficient to maintain two major regional conflicts simultaneously, according to Naval News.
Manufacturers are now focused on building up supplies of the U.S. MK-48 Advanced Capability (ADCAP) heavyweight torpedoes and MK-54 lightweight torpedoes to meet the minimum base requirements set by the new budget.
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U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Nikita Custer (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Nikita Custer)
The Navy has not clarified the exact number of undersea weapons that would entail, but it is based on internal estimates about potential conflicts with a near-peer forces.
The Navy is also required to build up a plan to massively increase torpedo production should it become necessary during war or peacetime.
The overhaul comes as the U.S. military is already scrambling to refill stockpiles of missiles and other weapons depleted in the war against Iran.
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A U.S. Navy warship (U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM))
Defending Israel and the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar from Iranian counterstrikes during the recent 12-day exchange of strikes cost the U.S. and Israel between $1.48 billion to $1.58 billion, according to an analysis by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA).
The months-long conflict has burned through a significant number of America’s offensive and defensive missile systems.
The U.S. had roughly 632 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors before June 13, the day Israel began its offensive in Iran. About 540 interceptors remain in its arsenal based on JINSA’s calculations of interceptor deliveries and use, according to the report.
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The U.S. has used up 14% of its global stockpile of prized THAAD missile interceptors. America’s THAAD system accounted for nearly half of all interceptions due to the “insufficient” capacity of Israel’s Arrow interception system.
U.S. Soldiers and civilians observe a MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems during a static-display demonstration Aug. 15, 2019, at Katterbach Army Airfield in Ansbach, Germany. (U.S. Army photo by Charles Rosemond)
It would take three to eight years to replenish the THAAD interceptors used in the 12-day war at current production rates.
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Patriot interceptor production is more robust than THAAD, according to the report, but the U.S. is providing a number of Patriot interceptors to Ukraine. So, it’s unclear how many remain in the stockpile.
‘ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
