The US Army has awarded Raytheon Missiles & Defense a $624 million contract to replenish the Stinger missiles delivered to Ukraine to defend itself against the Russian invasion.
The contract covers the production of 1,300 Stingers and the provisions for equipment and engineering support to address obsolescence and accelerate the missile’s production.
The latest contract is being paid for out of the $40 billion Ukraine Supplemental funding.
Struggling to Restart Production
The manufacturer has been struggling to restart missile production since it received a $340 million Stinger order from the Pentagon last year on behalf of a foreign client.
Raytheon had not produced the missile in 18 years due to a lack of demand from the Department of Defense.
Western countries have sent the shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile to Ukraine “in thousands” since the war broke out in late February. The US has committed 1,400 Stingers to Kyiv.
Raytheon CEO Greg Hayes was quoted as saying in late April that the company has “a very limited stock of material for Stinger production.”
Moreover, as the missile was not in production for almost two decades, some of the missile components “are no longer commercially available,” forcing the company to redesign some of the missile’s electronics.
Production to Accelerate
Raytheon president Wes Kremer said, “We’re aligned with the US Army on a plan that ensures we fulfill our current foreign military sale order, while replenishing Stingers provided to Ukraine and accelerating production.”
“The funding will be used to enhance Stinger’s producibility in an effort to meet the urgent need for replenishment.”
Meanwhile, the US Army has solicited information from the industry for a Stinger replacement. The army plans to begin design and development of the replacement in 2023.