US forces fired around 800 Patriot missiles on the first day of strikes against Iran, after the Iran war began in late February.
As interceptor stocks tightened, commanders at US bases in the Middle East reportedly began allowing some Iranian missiles aimed at unpopulated areas to land. They were preserving scarce interceptors for missiles that could cause real harm.
The strain is clearest in the Patriot inventory. By July, the Center for Strategic International Studies said America’s Patriot Missile stockpile had dropped to 700-800 missiles from roughly 2,300 before the conflict. The US produces an average of 700-800 Patriot missiles annually.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the US stockpile of Patriot interceptors had fallen to fewer than 827 by July 27. The 12-day war of June 2025 also saw US forces reportedly fire more than 150 THAAD interceptors, leaving fewer than 278 in the stockpile by July 27, CSIS said.
By early August, the United States had used virtually all the Army Tactical Missile Systems and Precision Strike Missiles available for the campaign. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that, since June 2025, the conflict has consumed between one-half and two-thirds of the US inventory of certain missile-defence interceptors.
Washington had already begun responding. President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act in June, and senior defence and acquisition officials met on July 31 to address the munitions shortfall. In August, Deputy Secretary of War Steve Feinberg urged defence industry leaders to adopt 'significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities'.
The Pentagon has since awarded Lockheed Martin a $58.6 billion Patriot deal. It also announced a US$24.4 billion contract for Raytheon to speed Standard Missile-6 production, and awarded $20.7 billion for AMRAAM missiles.
The contracts recognise a constraint that spending alone cannot immediately remove. Rebuilding depleted stocks could take at least five years, even if production increases. Restoring the US Tomahawk stockpile to its pre-war level could take until 2031.
Combat can consume an arsenal within hours, while manufacturing can require years to restore it. The US military had incurred about $38 billion in costs from combat operations against Iran through 1 August.
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