US announces $20.7 billion deal for RTX to accelerate AMRAAM production

Latest contract also includes weapons for delivery to 16 allied nations.

The US Department of War announced a $20.7 billion order for Raytheon’s AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) on 28 September.

The five-year contract – which also includes a further two option years – nearly doubles AMRAAM production compared to previous levels. This could enable a yearly output of 1,900 or more of the weapons.

“We are working across the defence industry to ramp production and build the ‘Arsenal of Freedom’,” says under secretary of war for acquisition and sustainment Michael P. Duffey. “This award strengthens our ability to equip the Joint Force and our allies with a proven air-to-air capability, ensuring our warfighters maintain a decisive advantage.”

As the long-standing default medium-range missile for the US and its international allies, the contract includes Foreign Military Sales. This includes weapons for Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Taiwan, and the UK.

The award comes after Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon also announced a deal on 17 September to increase production of the AIM-260 long-range air-to-air missile. Built as a successor to the AIM-120 AMRAAM, the deal stated it would expand overseas allies’ access to the weapon, without sharing details of the highly classified technology.

In late August, the US Navy (USN) also announced the emergence of a new long-range air-to-air missile – the AIM-424 Malice, built to combat the serious Chinese threat to aircraft carrier strike groups. Developed by Raytheon, the missile’s range is “in excess of 250nm [463km]”, according to USN.

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