Australia to buy more than 200 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US in billion-dollar deal

Australia is ready to purchase 220 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US in a deal price greater than $1 billion.

The US State Department has authorized the sale of the arms to Australia, however the deal nonetheless must be authorized by congress.

The change is reported to be price greater than $US 895 million ($1.3 billion).

(File picture) A Tomahawk cruise missile is fired off the battleship USS Wisconsin. (AP)

Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed the deal was underway on Today this morning.

“We are working with the US on having more missile capability because it’s a really important part of what we need to be doing with our posture, which is to have a greater ability to project,” he stated.

“That’s at the heart of what we’re doing with submarines, of course, but making sure we have longer range strike missiles is a really important capability for the country.

“It permits us to have the ability to attain out past our shores additional and that is in the end how we’re capable of hold Australia protected.”