Tomahawk production gets a boost | Defense Dollars

Welcome to Defense Dollars, your update on the defense and aerospace markets around the world and what's making the numbers move

Let's dive right in. First up, the U.S. Department of War is putting big money behind a major push to accelerate missile production

The department has awarded Raytheon and RTX Business a $22.9 billion contract through the U.S. Navy to speed up production of the Tomahawk, a critical long-range strike weapon

Officials say the award is designed to expand manufacturing capacity, strengthen supply chains, and reduce the time it takes to get weapons into the hands of U.S. forces

The deal also gives RTX the stability to expand its workforce and increase manufacturing throughput as the Pentagon looks to rebuild the munitions industrial base

The massive investment puts Tomahawk production at the center of Washington's broader effort to rapidly scale up critical weapons

Meanwhile, a major leadership shakeup is rocking defense contractor L3 Harris. The company has parted ways with chairman and CEO Christopher Kubisik after a board

investigation found conduct that violated the company's code of conduct. L3 Harris did not disclose the specific nature of the conduct but said it was not related to financial reporting internal controls customer relationships or operational performance Sam Mehta has been named president and CEO while Louis Hay III will serve as board

chairman. L3Harris maintained its 2026 financial forecast following the change, but shares fell

more than 3% as investors reacted to the unexpected transition. And finally, German defense startup

Helsing is turning to a surprising partner to help break into Japan's growing military market

The drone maker has enlisted Japanese e-commerce and finance giant Rakuten to help finalize a deal

to sell its unmanned systems to Japan's ground self-defense forces. Japan is currently testing

Helsing's HX-2 strike drone with field tests expected to run through the end of September

as Tokyo modernizes its military amid rising concerns about China. Rakuten has limited

experience in defense, but says it wants to help more startups navigate Japan's complex

procurement system and connect new technologies with government agencies. The partnership comes

as Japan's increased military spending and easier arms export rules draw a growing number of foreign

defense companies to the market. And that wraps up your defense dollars for this week

Join us daily on Cheddar and Defense News for more stories like these