Military Munitions See Increase via Reconciliation Bill
The U.S. Air Force has unveiled its weapons procurement budget for fiscal year 2026, requesting a significant boost of $1.94 billion from the ongoing budget reconciliation package. This brings the total budget to a substantial $4.78 billion.
Key investments in the budget include the AGM-181 Long Range Stand-Off (LRSO) missile, for which the Air Force is requesting $442.7 million for procurement and an additional $175.4 million for continued development. The budget also includes $387.1 million for the AGM-183 Air Launched Rapid-Response Weapon (ARRW) procurement, although the number of units is not specified.
The Air Force is also planning to purchase 389 AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) and 118 AGM-158C Long Range Air-to-Surface Missiles (LRASM) at a combined cost of $1.431 billion. The JASSM will cost around $2.6 million each, while LRASM will cost $3.6 million each.
Another significant investment is the JATMM missile, with the Air Force requesting $376.9 million for 112 units in fiscal 2026. This missile is expected to be part of the weapons mix for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft at some point.
The budget also includes $665.1 million for 483 AIM-120 AMRAAM radar-guided air-to-air missiles, making AMRAAM the primary weapon of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft. The Air Force is also requesting $51.7 million for AMRAAM research and development in fiscal 2026.
The Air Force is continuing development of JASSM, with $232.3 million requested for the effort. The budget for the Family of Affordable Mass Missiles (FAMMA) is set at $656.3 million, with 3,010 weapons to be provided. Each cruise missile will cost approximately $218,000.
The budget for the secret air-to-air AIM-260 JATMM is included in the fiscal 2026 request for the first time. The cost of the latest JATMM missiles is approximately $3.36 million each, down from $4.14 million in 2024.
The Air Force is also asking $6.8 million to buy more GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs, although the number of bombs that amount would buy was not specified. 14 of these bombs were used to attack Iranian nuclear development facilities in June.
The budget for the Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) is set at $442 million, with $185.9 million requested for 99 units and an additional $255.3 million for continued development. The SiAW is expected to be a replacement for the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), for which the Air Force is sticking with 1,500 units a year, asking $126.4 million for that number of units in 2026.
The Air Force's budget for foreign operations and related programs shows fluctuations in funding, which can indirectly affect overall defense spending through diplomatic and security efforts. Economic policies and budget reconciliation packages can also impact defense spending by adjusting allocations across different sectors, including defense.
Investments in advanced weapons systems, such as those involving AI, drones, and cybersecurity, are likely to continue, influencing procurement budgets. Changes in geopolitical dynamics and threats can lead to increased spending on specific weapons systems to maintain strategic capabilities. However, without specific details from the Future Years Defense Plan or other official projections, it's challenging to provide precise long-term growth figures for the U.S. Air Force's weapons procurement budget.
- The U.S. Air Force has requested a substantial boost of $1.94 billion for its weapons procurement budget in fiscal year 2026, bringing the total budget to $4.78 billion.
- The Air Force is requesting $442.7 million for procurement and an additional $175.4 million for continued development of the AGM-181 Long Range Stand-Off (LRSO) missile.
- The budget also includes $1.431 billion for the procurement of 389 AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) and 118 AGM-158C Long Range Air-to-Surface Missiles (LRASM).
- The budget for the secret air-to-air AIM-260 JATMM is included in the fiscal 2026 request, with each missile costing approximately $3.36 million each.
