What Happened
Massive Munitions Deal Amid Stockpile Concerns and Global Conflict
The Pentagon has awarded RTX’s Raytheon a provisional multiyear contract worth $20.7 billion to accelerate production of AMRAAM missiles, as the military seeks to replenish stockpiles depleted by conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. The AMRAAM is used in air-to-air jet fighter combat and the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS), which is used to defend the Washington area and by over a dozen other countries. The contract is part of the Pentagon’s ‘Arsenal of Freedom’ initiative and follows a similar pattern to a $58.6 billion Patriot interceptor deal awarded to Lockheed Martin in July. This development was reported by Reuters.