By Adriano Marchese
Raytheon and a coalition of North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies signed an agreement to expand the AMRAAM missile program, clearing the way to build components of the advanced air-to-air missile on European soil for the first time.
The defense contractor, an RTX company, said following a NATO summit in Turkey that it is working in partnership with the U.S. government and multiple other NATO nations to conduct a series of feasibility studies that would qualify new suppliers in Europe for priority components of its advanced medium-range air-to-air missile.
By qualifying new secondary suppliers across Europe, the joint initiative aims to create a localized coproduction footprint that can rapidly accelerate deliveries, bolster supply-chain resilience and replenish critical air-defense stockpiles heavily depleted by recent global conflicts.
"Expanding AMRAAM production capacity is essential to meeting the urgent air defense needs of the United States and our allies," said Michael Duffey, the U.S. Defense Department's under secretary for acquisition and sustainment, on Tuesday.
Raytheon said other nations are expected to join the collaboration as it looks to expand industrial capacity and meet growing global demand for the missiles.
The AMRAAM has been heavily deployed in recent conflicts such as the Russian-Ukraine war and the recent conflict involving the U.S., Israel and Iran, serving as a primary missile to defend against drone swarms. The intense usage of air-to-air missiles has severely depleted stockpiles for the U.S. and its allies, creating an urgent push to expand global production.
Write to Adriano Marchese at adriano.marchese@wsj.com