WASHINGTON — Raytheon Missiles and Defense won a $972 million contract to supply U.S. and other militaries with Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, or AMRAAMs.
Under the non-competitive, firm-fixed-price incentive modification to a previously-awarded contract, Raytheon will produce AMRAAMs for both the Air Force and Navy, as well as the militaries of 19 other countries including the U.K., Australia, Italy, Saudi Arabia and Japan. Foreign military sales account for 42% of the contract’s value, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
Raytheon said this contract, for lot 36, is the first to consist entirely of AIM-120D3 and AIM-120C8 AMRAAMs with the latest form, fit, function refresh, or F3R, upgrades to software and hardware.
“This contract underscores the importance of AMRAAM in the warfighter’s arsenal,” Paul Ferraro, Raytheon’s president of air power, said in a statement. “These missiles, developed under the form, fit, function refresh, have the most advanced hardware and software needed to compete with peer adversaries.”
F3R upgrades include improved circuit cards and other hardware in the AMRAAM’s guidance section, as well as updated software that will make the missiles more capable against advanced threats. Engineers used model-based systems engineering strategies and other digital technology for these upgrades, Raytheon said.
Raytheon will conduct the work in Tucson, Arizona, where it’s based, and will be finished by the end of August 2025.
The company previously announced it and the U.S. Air Force had successfully conducted the first live-fire test of an AMRAAM with the F3R upgrades against a target. That June 30 test saw an F-15E Strike Eagle fire one of the missiles at a long-range target, showing the missile had been successfully integrated into the fighter and was working as intended.
Two more live fire tests are planned later this year, Raytheon said.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
