European co-production aims to replenish allied missile stockpiles
The agreement, announced following a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, involves Raytheon conducting a series of feasibility studies to qualify additional suppliers in Europe for priority components of its AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile. By establishing a localized co-production footprint across multiple nations, the joint initiative aims to accelerate deliveries, bolster supply-chain resilience and replenish critical air-defense stockpiles.
Michael Duffey, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment, said the expansion was driven by the urgency of current operational demands.
“Expanding AMRAAM production capacity is essential to meeting the urgent air defense needs of the United States and our allies,” Duffey said in a statement Tuesday.
Raytheon, an RTX company, said additional NATO nations are expected to join the collaboration as it looks to expand industrial capacity to meet growing global demand for the missiles.
The AMRAAM has been heavily deployed in recent conflicts including the war in Ukraine and the conflict involving the U.S., Israel and Iran, serving as a primary missile for defending against drone swarms. The intense usage of the air-to-air missiles has depleted stockpiles for the U.S. and its allies, creating an urgent push to expand global production capacity.
The initiative marks the first time AMRAAM components will be manufactured on European soil. The program will qualify new secondary suppliers across Europe for priority components, with Raytheon working in partnership with the U.S. government and multiple NATO nations on the feasibility studies.