In a likely sign of the US military and its allies reviewing their war stocks in light of the Ukraine war, Raytheon Technologies announced on 20 June 2023 that it has been awarded a USD 1.15 Bn (EUR 1.05 Bn) contract for AIM-120 D-3 and C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs).
The company noted that this is the largest AMRAAM missile contract to date and the fifth production lot of the missiles developed under the Form, Fit, Function Refresh (F3R) that updates both the missile’s hardware and allows for software upgrades.
As well as providing missiles for both the US Air Force and US Navy, the contract will also supply AMRAAM all-up rounds and/or spares to 18 allied countries, including Ukraine, under the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) mechanism. This accounts for around 39% of the contract value, according to the US Department of Defense.
Under the F3R programme, engineers used model-based systems engineering initiatives and other digital technologies to upgrade multiple circuit cards and other hardware in the guidance section of the missile and to re-host legacy software in the AIM-120 D-3 and AIM-120 C-8 AMRAAMs.
The FMS recipients of AMRAAMs under this contract are Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
The Air Dominance Division Contracting Office at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity for this production lot (Production Lot 37), with the work to be performed at Raytheon’s production site in Tucson, Arizona.
Peter Felstead
