China Lake installs 300-gallon mixer to expand Tomahawk warhead capacity

Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division marked the installation of a new 300-gallon mixer November 9 inside the rebuilt Motor Assembly Compound at China Lake, California. The equipment is intended to raise production capacity for Tomahawk warheads once it comes online around June 2027.

The installation follows first-article work on the center’s decades-old 150-gallon mixer, which produced seven initial warheads this fall for inspection. China Lake is preparing to become an additional source of warhead production while retaining its development and testing role.

The facility is part of a wider rebuild after July 2019 earthquakes destroyed three energetics compounds at the China Lake Propulsion Laboratory. Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command began replacement construction in April 2022. The new compound shortens the movement of a mixer bowl weighing nearly 20,000 pounds from roughly an hour to about 15 minutes, preserving more of the limited casting window.

A separate $22.9 billion Navy contract awarded to Raytheon in August covers accelerated Tomahawk production; it is not the disclosed cost of the compound or mixer. The Navy source did not state a facility or equipment value. NAWCWD also signed a multiyear manufacturing partnership with L3Harris in September.

Next step: the new mixer is expected to reach operational production capability around June 2027 after commissioning and qualification work.

Photo: The 300-gallon mixer in the Motor Assembly Compound on November 9. U.S. Navy photo by Michael L. Smith, public domain. Photograph record.

Source: Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, reviewed November 11, 2026.