Australia to buy 220 Tomahawk missiles from the US

Australia said it's planning to buy up to 220 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States after the U.S. State Department approved the sale Friday. The deal comes days after Australia announced it would buy nuclear-powered attack submarines from the U.S. to modernize its fleet amid growing concern. Australian officials said the new nuclear-powered submarines would be able to fire the Tomahawk missiles.

The Australian missile sale comes with a price tag of nearly $900 million. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government had been transparent about the expense. The prime contractor will be Arizona-based Raytheon Missiles and Defense. Australian officials have estimated the cost of the submarines at between $178 and $245 billion over three decades.