Trump says defense contractors agree to quadruple production of 'exquisite class' weapons

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Hill

03/06/26 4:40 PM ET


President Trump said major defense contractors have agreed to quadruple the production of “exquisite class” weaponry following a meeting Friday at the White House.

“They have agreed to quadruple Production of the ‘Exquisite Class’ Weaponry in that we want to reach, as rapidly as possible, the highest levels of quantity. Expansion began three months prior to the meeting, and Plants and Production of many of these Weapons are already under way,” the president said in a post on Truth Social.

The executives of BAE Systems, Boeing, Honeywell, L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon were at the meeting and another huddle was scheduled two months from now.

The meeting about the high-tier, expensive munitions comes as the U.S. and Israel are continuing to wage their war against Iran, prompting retaliation from Tehran. The U.S. Central Command said in a Friday update that the military has struck more than 3,000 targets inside Iran since the conflict broke out. On Friday, Trump again addressed the concerns about the U.S.’s munition stockpiles as the military continues to shoot down incoming Iranian drones and missiles in the region.

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5772125-quadruple-weaponry-production-trump/

[DRiggs]

1. Timeline?

This in't just throwing together parts in the warehouse.

[EarthFirst]

2. The DoD spent 98.4 billion on tactical and strategic missiles in FY '23

To quadruple that production would require a commitment of 393.6 billion.

https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3330612/emphasis-in-dod-2024-budget-includes-munitions/

This isn’t something that scales to this level overnight; or even years…this requires a Herculean effort of manufacturing infrastructure, skilled labor and increasingly difficult to source critical components.

They can agree to his crackpot demands; it doesn’t mean that they can easily meet those demands…

[Roy Rolling]

3. Here's the problem

“Trump says” starts the beginning of Trump words and ideas. That statement should carry the historical weight and branding of his president efforts—the same way “Hitler said” or “Jim Jones said”.

His words, ideas, and even his name are bottom feeders in the ocean of existence. Someone dragged his rotting carcass from the depths, and it’s the oligarchs who profit from the destruction of the United States as a business goal. They’re all immoral and untrustworthy, but he’s established his brand—Shit is his product.

It’s just business.

[modrepub]

4. Tomahawk Missile Production

Is currently in the range of 100 per year. So now we’re aiming for 400 per year. That means we can only fire about 1 per day under Trump’s plan.

I didn’t read the entire article. Someone who isn’t as lazy as me please tell me if the reporter included what I deduced in the previous paragraph. How do I know I’m going to be disappointed with this journalist’s deductive reasoning skills.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. They linked to another, more comprehensive article from earlier in the week where they had this (different reporter) -

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5765875-us-munitions-stockpile-iran-trump/

(snip)

But the U.S. has still not resupplied high-end interceptors such as THAAD missiles — critical in defending U.S. military personnel against Iranian ballistic missiles — after the military blew through 25 percent of its stockpile over just a few days of operations against Iran in June 2025.

THAAD interceptors and Patriot missile systems have also been used extensively in operations in the Middle East, and Patriot missiles continue to be requested by Ukraine in its war with Russia. Because of the weapons’ complex and high-tech makeup, as well as production constraints, each replacement missile can take upwards of two years or more to make. Due to this, the U.S. currently can produce only several hundred THAAD and Patriot missiles each year.

(snip)

Other standard missiles that have been rapidly consumed are the Navy’s ship-launched SM-2, SM-3 and SM-6 munitions. The missiles have been used to protect vessels in the Red Sea against the Houthis, an Iranian-proxy group in Yemen, as well as to defend Israel from Iranian ballistic missiles.

The shortages have been so acutely felt that the Pentagon last year requested nearly $30 billion from Congress to backfill its high-end missiles and interceptors, but that request was only partially fulfilled in the Defense Department’s budget passed last month, The Washington Post reported.

(snip)

[Deminpenn]

10. Miliatry used over 100 Tomahawks a DAY according

to a report in another thread. They blew through 400 in 3 days. Current Tomahawk production I estimated to be about 7 a month. Even quadrupling that is only about 28 a month or 1 per day.

If all these contractors are going to increase production, then they'll be competing for each other similar components. The component manufacturers will also be competing with each other for raw materials.

Defense contractors have been shrinking their military manufacturing for decades. They haven't wanted to hold inventory or tooling since before my retirement and were becoming increasing reliant on just-in-time manufacturing.

It doesn't surprise me at all now that push has come to shove, the capacity to increase production significantly isn't there.

[modrepub]

13. So How Many Parts Are Common

With consumer products? If there’s a large crossover and this administration diverts resources to military then what does that do to the consumer market?

I already know the answer but you appear to have some more insight on this front than I do.

[Blues Heron]

5. What a waste- starve your own people for war.

[Hope22]

22. Quickest way to bankrupt the country...

Fictitious orders and divvy up the payment amongst themselves. Been at war one week and suddenly our shelves are bare? Where did it all go? And who sold it? One guess!

[Whip-poor-will]

6. The rapist said

They agreed to add a forth 8 hour shift a day to satisfy KING Pervert ,whatever it takes...

[Hugin]

8. Days have been increased to a 32 hour Trump Day to accommodate the additional shift.

The applause sign is lit.

[Hugin]

7. A huddle in two months?

They just gave away that the timeline is far more than “two weeks”. I am very sure that the claim that the expansion started three months ago is a lie.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

11. No BIG, BEAUTIFUL, Trump Class Battleships then?

I am CRUSHED!

[Hugin]

14. Well... Maybe one.

They could melt down the Arch du Trumpinphant.

No, wait! That’s needed for the 100k seating arena to be built for Herr Gropenfuhrer’s bigly birthday bash.

[Hope22]

23. This makes me want to throw up!

For real!!

[Doc_Technical]

12. As Country Joe said

"There's plenty good money to be made
by supplying the Army with the tools of the trade"

[BradBo]

15. The Military Industrial Complex is loving this shit.

[niyad]

16. I couldn't get past "exquisite class" weapons. Is there actually such

a designation?

[Linda ladeewolf]

17. Must be gold plated rockets.

[Hugin]

18. It's just below the euphoria class...

And above the exemplary class. Have you not received your Turd Reich thingie rating scheme declaration yet? It was imminently issued a few trumpets ago.

[caraher]

24. Only in Trump's fevered imagination

I threw up a little in my mouth when I read that made up category. 25th Amendment, anyone?

[LetMyPeopleVote]

19. US troops in Iran racing against the clock before running out of ammo: report

U.S. troops in Iran are staring down a difficult situation in the wake of strikes that killed Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a new report.

U.S. troops in Iran are staring down a difficult situation in the wake of strikes that killed Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a new report.

— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) 2026-03-02T03:00:14.654Z

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-iran-2675514870

U.S. troops in Iran are staring down a difficult situation in the wake of strikes that killed Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a new report.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that U.S. troops are racing to destroy Iran's ballistic and nuclear missile facilities before they run out of interceptors to defend from Iranian retaliatory strikes. The exact size of the military's ammunition base is classified, but analysts and former officials who spoke to The Journal said the stockpile has been diminished after repeated conflicts in the region.

At the same time, military troops are working to fend off a series of retaliatory strikes from the Iranians. U.S. Central Command said on Saturday that they mounted a "largely successful defense against hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks," according to the report.

“One of the challenges is you can deplete these really quickly,” Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, told The Journal. “We’re using them faster than we can replace them.”

Troops are also running low on sea-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles and aircraft-launched weapons following the operation last year to take out Yemen-based Houthi militants, according to the report.

“Eventually it boils down to numbers,” Jonathan Conricus, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told The Journal. “How many interceptors will we have versus how many launchers will they be able to field and fire.”

[artemisia1]

20. Of course they "agreed". That's how you handle a madman with a gun in his hands. As others have mentioned,

agreeing doesn't equal ability or industrial capacity.

[Grins]

21. How does he plan on paying for this new production?

Want to end this Madness? Propose a 10% annual tax increase to pay for it. Then watch how fast the Reich-wing runs away…