The US decision to pause its military campaign against Iran has sparked renewed debate over the sustainability of America's missile stockpiles.
While the Pentagon has denied that it is running out of munitions, analysts say the conflict has highlighted the enormous cost of modern air and missile defense systems.
The campaign relied heavily on two categories of weapons: long-range strike munitions and defensive interceptors used to counter Iranian missile and drone attacks.
Among them, the Patriot air defense system has been one of the most heavily employed. A single PAC-3 interceptor costs roughly US$4 million, while an Iranian Shahed one-way attack drone can cost as little as US$20,000, illustrating the vast cost imbalance between offensive and defensive weapons.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the US and its allies had a pre-war inventory of around 2,330 Patriot interceptors and fired an estimated 1,060 to 1,430 during the conflict.
The think tank estimates that 190 to 290 THAAD interceptors were launched from an estimated stockpile of 360, underscoring concerns over the pace at which advanced air-defense munitions are being consumed.
The financial burden has also mounted rapidly. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently told lawmakers that the war has cost approximately US$37.5 billion so far, with a significant share of the expenditure going toward operations and munitions replenishment.
Reporter: Xie Hongzhou
Cameraman: Xie Hongzhou
Video: Xie Hongzhou
Poster: Xie Hongzhou
