Missile Pressure Mounts as U.S. Prepares to Commit Nearly Entire Stealth Arsenal
The United States is preparing to commit nearly its entire inventory of stealthy long-range JASSM-ER missile systems to its campaign against Iran, marking a sharp escalation in the air war. The move, described in reporting cited on Saturday, comes as U. S. officials weigh how to keep pressure on Iranian targets while limiting risk to service members.
That missile decision is being made alongside a broader shift in tactics as the conflict enters a more dangerous phase. U. S. and Israeli officials say a significant portion of Iran’s air defense systems has been destroyed, but recent aircraft losses show the theater still carries serious danger.
More than 1, 000 JASSM-ER missiles were used in the first four weeks of the war, and additional missiles were also drawn into a separate U. S. operation targeting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The stockpile pressure is now severe enough that the next phase of operations is expected to pull missiles from stockpiles previously assigned to other regions.
Military planners have relied heavily on long-range standoff weapons such as the missile to strike Iranian infrastructure from a distance. The approach is meant to reduce exposure for pilots and aircraft, but it is also consuming a key part of the U. S. arsenal faster than production can replace it.
Officials familiar with the matter said missiles are being moved from multiple facilities, including stockpiles in the Pacific region and sites on American soil, to U. S. Central Command bases and to Fairford in the United Kingdom. The commitment of the missile inventory does not mean every round will be fired, but it does show how central the weapon has become to the campaign.
Recent battlefield losses underscore why the missile strategy has taken on added weight. Iran has shot down a U. S. F-15E strike fighter and an A-10 attack aircraft, and damage to rescue helicopters has added to the sense of risk. Iran has also downed more than 12 MQ-9 drones during the war, adding to the toll on U. S. air operations.
Officials See A War Of Attrition
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said on Tuesday that the U. S. had begun flying B-52 bombers over Iran, suggesting airspace conditions had improved enough to allow more use of cheaper JDAM precision bombs. Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, said the delayed deployment of B-52 bombers “raises questions about the degree to which the US has continued to rely on standoff capabilities. ”
US and Israeli officials have said much of Iran’s air defense network has been degraded, which has opened the door to some cheaper munitions. Still, the missile campaign remains the backbone of the U. S. strike effort as losses and uncertainty continue to shape planning.
Inventories Under Pressure
The strain is not limited to one missile type. The U. S. has funded procurement of more than 6, 200 JASSM missiles since 2009, while production of the baseline version ended about a decade ago. Lockheed Martin is scheduled to produce 396 JASSM-ER missiles in 2026, with the capacity to increase output to as many as 860 annually if production lines are fully dedicated.
That pace still leaves a gap. Replenishing missile stocks is expected to take years at current production levels, and the war has already pushed inventories lower than planners would want for a wider crisis. The missile commitment to Iran may therefore shape readiness well beyond this conflict.
What Comes Next
It remains unclear what President Donald Trump is planning for the next phase of the campaign. Ground forces, including Marines and paratroopers, are moving into the region, while speculation has emerged about possible operations connected to Kharg Island, which hosts Iran’s main oil terminals.
For now, the clearest signal is the scale of the missile commitment and the urgency behind it. As the campaign intensifies, the U. S. is betting that the missile remains the most effective tool it can use without putting more pilots at risk, even as the inventory drain grows harder to ignore.
