Iran War Estimate Puts Gun-System Tungsten Needs Near 4,000 Kilograms

An estimate of ammunition used during the Iran war puts the tungsten needed to replace rounds fired by C-RAM and similar gun systems at almost 4,000 kilograms, against a global tungsten market in which China accounted for most mine production in 2025.

A separate estimate put coalition forces’ total use at 11,294 munitions during the war’s first 16 days, with an estimated cost of about $26 billion. Those figures are estimates, not official military tallies. The tungsten calculation covers ammunition for the gun systems; it does not quantify the material needed to replenish missiles.

China mined 67,000 metric tons of tungsten in 2025, out of a global total of 85,000 metric tons. That gave China 79% of worldwide mine production. The United States has not mined tungsten commercially since 2015.

The production figures describe mine output and do not identify the sources of U.S. tungsten imports. They therefore do not establish how much the United States relies on China for the metal.

Gallium presents a separate supply measure. China accounted for 99% of global primary low-purity gallium production in 2025, while the United States had 100% net import reliance for gallium that year.

For the broader critical-minerals list, the United States had 100% net import reliance for 12 minerals and at least 50% reliance for 34 more as of December 2025. Those counts cover the full list, not only materials used in defense.

Many technologies intended to substitute for or recycle semiconductor materials are years from maturity, limiting their near-term potential to reduce import reliance. The assessment covers semiconductor materials and does not establish that these technologies would change tungsten supply.

On Aug. 31, the Department of War announced an estimated $174 million investment in a gallium facility at Alcoa’s Wagerup alumina refinery in Australia. The facility is projected to produce 100 metric tons annually; that figure is planned capacity, not current output.