US Navy installs 300-gallon mixer at China Lake to boost Tomahawk warhead capacity

The US Navy is preparing a new production capability at its China Lake weapons facility in California to help supply warheads for Raytheon’s expanding Tomahawk cruise missile production. The effort includes a new industrial mixer, rebuilt manufacturing facilities, and the qualification of an additional warhead producer.

The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) recently completed seven first-article Tomahawk warheads for inspection, marking an important step toward making China Lake an additional production source. The units were assembled using an existing 150-gallon mixer, while a new 300-gallon system is expected to become operational around June 2027.

The Navy marked the installation of the larger mixer on November 9 at the rebuilt Motor Assembly Compound. Once operational, the equipment is expected to allow the facility’s energetics team to reach its planned production rate and supply warheads in time to support deliveries of additional Tomahawk missiles.

The expansion comes after the Navy awarded Raytheon, an RTX company, a seven-year contract worth approximately $22.9 billion in August 2026 to accelerate Tomahawk production. The agreement covers more than 7,000 new-build, recertified, and modernized missiles, with annual production targeted to exceed 1,000 rounds.

Building another source for Tomahawk warheads

China Lake’s new role is intended to supplement existing industrial production rather than replace it. Raytheon is the prime contractor for Tomahawk, while General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems manufactures warhead cases. L3Harris currently performs explosive loading for the warhead.

The Navy wants China Lake to take on a portion of that work through a public-private partnership with L3Harris. The arrangement, signed in September 2026, is intended to expand manufacturing capacity for missile components and give the service another way to respond to rising demand.

The seven first-article warheads represent the first units built by China Lake for inspection as a new producer. They must pass the required checks before becoming production-qualified units. The Navy has not disclosed the facility’s eventual annual warhead output.

Preparing the additional source has involved more than installing machinery. The Navy spent much of the past year updating the warhead specification and its approved supplier list. It also purchased materials in advance because some components can take up to a year to arrive.

More than a dozen new employees are joining the energetics team. They will undergo approximately a year of training under experienced technicians before taking on independent production responsibilities, according to NAWCWD.

A larger mixer and rebuilt manufacturing facilities

The new 300-gallon mixer is central to the expansion. Built by B&P Littleford, it is designed to handle the specialized materials used in military energetics manufacturing. Its capacity is twice that of the 150-gallon mixer the team previously used.

The new facility layout is also intended to reduce the time spent moving material between manufacturing stages. Previously, crews mixed materials in one building and transported them roughly half a mile to another building for casting. In the rebuilt compound, the mixing bowl can be moved across the same facility to a lift, reducing an approximately one-hour transfer to around 15 minutes.

That matters because the material has a limited processing window after mixing. The Navy says the new arrangement could recover about 45 minutes of that window, allowing more time for subsequent production steps.

The facilities themselves are part of a wider reconstruction effort. Earthquakes in July 2019 destroyed three energetics compounds in the Salt Wells area of China Lake. Construction of their replacements began in April 2022, with the November 9 ceremony marking a major milestone in the rebuilt complex.

The Tomahawk is a long-range cruise missile launched from US Navy surface ships and submarines. Its ability to strike land targets from considerable distances allows naval forces to conduct precision attacks without moving their launch platforms close to hostile territory.

Expanding missile production therefore requires more than increasing final assembly capacity. Warheads, propulsion systems, guidance components, and other specialized parts must also be available at the required pace.

The China Lake effort illustrates how the Navy is using its own technical facilities to help address those industrial constraints. Its energetics team has decades of experience producing warheads for other weapons, including the air-launched SLAM-ER missile.

NAWCWD describes the facility as a pilot plant that can support developmental work while augmenting industry when additional capacity is needed. The immediate objective is to qualify China Lake as a reliable source of Tomahawk warheads, helping prevent a shortage of components from slowing the wider missile production effort.

Source: https://interestingengineering.com/military/us-prepares-china-lake-tomahawk-warheads