People are just finding out how much it costs to fire US military weapons with one shot nearly $12,000,000

The US Navy uses a weapon which costs a staggering $12,000,000 for one shot.

Some people are only just figuring out how expensive the weapons industry is for the military - even if you thought you were pretty aware, some of the costs are gobsmacking.

Earlier this month, the Peter G Peterson Foundation revealed during the fiscal year 2023, the Office of Management and Budget found the US spent a whopping $820 billion on national defense.

"Procurement of weapons and systems cost $142 billion in 2023 and $122 billion was spent on research and development of weapons and equipment. The military also spent over $10 billion on the construction and management of military facilities and $1 billion on family housing," its website states.

And once you see a video posted to Reddit thread r/DamnThatsInteresting by u/ NotSamuraiJosh26_2, it's not hard to see why.

The video reports the alleged cost of some of the US Navy's weapons. (Reddit/ r/NotSamuraiJosh26_2)

The video shows the alleged costs the US Navy incurs when firing different weapons.

In the video, a SM-3 Anti Ballistic Missile comes out as costing a reported staggering $11,800,000 per shot.

Indeed, according to The Telegraph, the 22-foot missiles with rocket boosters - known as the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptors - cost $12-million-a-shot.

They are reportedly the only weapon which the service currently has that holds the power to potentially bring down a ballistic weapon while it's still in the air, midway to its target.

But what about all the other weapons in the video?

The cost can vary depending on the ammunition used (Reddit/ r/NotSamuraiJosh26_2)

Well, the clip also shows footage of a MK 50 Cal, claiming one fire costs $11.25 and by the end of a series of rounds, it says the total has come to $74.86.

According to a Quora answer by Carl from The Gun Club, the rounds cost 'about $8 to $10 depending on where you buy them' and given the answer was posted last year, this could well have gone up.

A five-inch Caliber Mark 45 is alleged by the video to cost $1,566.10 to fire before going up to $3,132.20 on the second fire.

Ultimately, the cost to fire the weapon depends on what sort of ammunition is used, but in 2018, USS Dewey (DDG-105) fired 20 hyper velocity projectiles (HVP) from a standard Mk 45 5-inch deck gun which cost the US $75,000-$100,000, USNI News reports.

While the prices can differ as a result of multiple factors, one thing's for sure, weapons certainly aren't cheap (Reddit/ r/NotSamuraiJosh26_2)

A MK 38 25mm Machine Gun is reported as costing $69.46 per shot, going up to $625.14 when shot multiple times in a matter of seconds.

"The Mk 38 Mod 3 also provides a range of 2.5 kilometers and selectable rates of fire from single to 180 rounds per minute, and fires all U.S. Navy-approved 25mm ammunition," as per Army Recognition.

And according to Ordnance.com, 25mm MK38 Machine Gun System Ammunition (25x137mm) costs from $50 to $250.

A CIWS 20mm - which does '75 rounds a second' - is reported by the video as costing $6,741.00 in one fire, going up to $13,482.94 once the second is released.

Known as the Phalanx CIWS - and used to defend Navy watercraft against small boats, missiles and aircraft - the War Zone reports a 'two-second burst' of the weapon costs 'the Navy nearly $7,000'.

The RIM 116 Surface to Air Missile allegedly costs a whopping $905,330.00 for one shot.

Known as the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) elsewhere online, the weapon is reported by Defence Geek as costing around '$982,000,000' per missile.

The price of each fluctuates dependent on the type of ammunition used.

UNILAD has contacted the US Navy for comment on the video.