600-mile strike push: US positions lethal long-range missiles for Iran war – Report
The United States is set to commit nearly its entire inventory of stealthy long-range JASSM-ER cruise missiles to its ongoing military campaign against Iran, significantly depleting stockpiles earmarked for other regions, according to a Bloomberg report.Citing a person with direct knowledge of the matter, Bloomberg reported that orders were issued in late March to pull the $1.5 million missiles from Pacific reserves, with additional weapons from the continental US and other locations being redirected to US Central Command bases and Fairford in the United Kingdom.After the redeployment, only about 425 JASSM-ER missiles will remain from a pre-war inventory of roughly 2,300, the report said. Around 75 more are considered “unserviceable” due to damage or technical faults. The remaining operational stock would be sufficient for approximately 17 B-1B bomber missions.The JASSM-ER, or Joint Air-to-Surface Missile Extended Range, has a strike range exceeding 600 miles and is designed to hit targets from a distance while avoiding enemy air defences. Alongside the shorter-range JASSM, which has a range of about 250 miles, nearly two-thirds of US stockpiles have now been allocated to the Iran conflict.The heavy use of long-range precision weapons comes as US and Israeli forces continue their air campaign launched on February 28. According to the report, more than 1,000 JASSM-ER missiles were expended in the first four weeks of the war alone.While such weapons reduce risks to personnel by enabling stand-off strikes, their rapid consumption is straining inventories meant for potential conflicts with more advanced adversaries such as China. Replenishing these stocks could take years at current production rates.Although Washington and its allies have claimed to have degraded a substantial portion of Iran’s air defence network, recent losses suggest continued risks. A US F-15E fighter jet was shot down on Friday, followed by the downing of an A-10 attack aircraft and damage to two combat search-and-rescue helicopters, according to the New York Times. Iran has also reportedly destroyed more than a dozen MQ-9 drones during the conflict.Despite the scale of deployment, not all committed missiles are expected to be used. So far, JASSM-ERs have been launched from B-52 and B-1B bombers as well as strike fighters.The US has funded the procurement of over 6,200 JASSM missiles since 2009, though production of the baseline variant ended about a decade ago. Manufacturer Lockheed Martin is expected to produce 396 JASSM-ER missiles in 2026, with potential to scale up to 860 annually if production lines are fully dedicated.US Central Command and the Department of Defense did not immediately respond to requests for comment.‘Stone ages’ warning and evolving battlefield dynamicsUncertainty remains over the next phase of the US campaign, even as additional ground forces, including Marines and paratroopers, are deployed to the region. Speculation has intensified around a possible move to seize Kharg Island, a critical hub for Iran’s oil exports.President Donald Trump said in a Wednesday night address that “over the next two to three weeks, we’re going to bring them back to the stone ages where they belong,” without clarifying whether the remark referred to Iran’s military, government, or civilian infrastructure.US military officials have indicated changing tactics. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine said B-52 bombers had begun flying over Iran, suggesting improved access to airspace and enabling the use of cheaper JDAM precision-guided bombs.However, analysts have questioned the reliance on stand-off weapons so far. “raises questions about the degree to which the US has continued to rely on standoff capabilities,” said Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, referring to the delayed deployment of older B-52 bombers.The conflict has also placed pressure on missile defence systems. Iran has launched more than 1,600 ballistic missiles and around 4,000 Shahed-type cruise missiles across the region, according to Gulf officials. Intercepting ballistic threats alone could require at least 3,200 interceptor missiles.Production constraints remain a concern. Lockheed Martin currently manufactures about 650 Patriot PAC-3 interceptors annually, with plans to scale up to 2,000 per year by 2030. THAAD interceptor output stands at 96 per year, with an agreement to increase production to 400.Meanwhile, the US has fired hundreds of Tomahawk cruise missiles during the campaign. Prior to the war, US inventories included about 4,000 Tomahawks, including older and anti-ship variants. RTX Corp. produced roughly 100 new missiles in 2025, while about 240 older units were upgraded to the latest Block V configuration.
