LONDON, June 28. /TASS/. It could take the Pentagon years to replenish its missile stockpiles following the operation against Iran, prompting the United States to seek faster and cheaper production options, The Financial Times writes.

"The US does not produce enough missiles, and those that it does are eye-wateringly expensive," the newspaper notes. According to The Financial Times, "America produces only 600 Tomahawks every year, and they cost about $2.6 mln a piece. The PrSM and JASSM, two other mainstays, each cost around $1.6 mln and $1.9 mln." That said, "it would currently take the Pentagon years rather than months to replace missiles fired at Iran."

"The American arsenal is based exclusively on expensive, exquisite and hard-to-produce weapons systems," said Michael Horowitz, a former Pentagon official responsible for defense innovation. "We have entered a different era of warfare, and now the US needs to change," he added.

The paper points out that "the US Air Force has requested some $12 bln over the next five years for 28,000 missiles," while "another Pentagon program unveiled last month envisages buying 10,000 ground-launched missiles over the next three years.".