The Army on Friday awarded Raytheon Technologies [RTX] a $624.6 million deal for procurement of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, which will go toward replenishing stockpiles after sending shipments of the weapon to aid Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s ongoing invasion.
This is the first production order Raytheon has received for the Stinger system since 2005, as the Pentagon works to activate production lines for critical munitions the U.S. has been providing to Ukraine.
The Pentagon noted work on the new Stinger deal is expected to be completed by the end of June 2026.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon announced it has shifted $1.5 billion to help ramp up production lines and replenish stockpiles of Javelin and Stinger missiles, pulling the funds from the $3.5 billion Ukraine Replacement Transfer Fund appropriated in the $13.6 billion supplemental spending bill for emergency aid to Ukraine passed in mid-March (Defense Daily, May 6).
Following the move, the Pentagon announced the Army has awarded a $237.9 million deal for Javelin production to Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Raytheon, which jointly manufacture the anti-tank missile, which was then followed by another $71.4 million deal on May 12.
Lockheed Martin [LMT] CEO Jim Taiclet has said the company is already accelerating investment to ramp up its Javelin production line and is aiming to nearly double its manufacturing capacity from 2,100 up to 4,000 per year (Defense Daily, May 9).
William LaPlante, the Pentagon’s top acquisition official, has said the department’s intent is to eventually replenish stockpiles of equipment sent to Ukraine on a “one-to-one” basis, while noting that will likely require several funding efforts before production lines can reach that capacity.
For Stingers, the Army is currently pursuing an effort to field a next-generation system after noting the current Stinger-Reprogrammable Microprocessor will become obsolete in FY ‘23.
Last month, the Army released a new Request for Information notice for the “Maneuver Short Range Air Defense Inc. 3” effort to find a Stinger replacement, detailing plans to begin developing and testing new capabilities next fiscal year before beginning production of 10,000 missiles in fiscal year 2027 (Defense Daily, April 11).
The U.S. has sent approximately 1,400 Stingers and 5,500 Javelins to Ukraine to date, according to the Pentagon.