Netherlands mulls local production of Raytheon’s Amraam missile

PARIS — Raytheon will explore the possibility of manufacturing its AIM-120 advanced medium-range, air-to-air missile in the Netherlands, after the United States gave the green light for a feasibility study, the Dutch Ministry of Defence said.

The study next year will investigate how Dutch industry can contribute to production, assembly and maintenance of the AIM-120 Amraam, the Netherlands MoD said in a statement late Monday.

The bilateral cooperation is the first step towards joint production of the AIM-120 with a European NATO partner, the Netherlands said. That would deepen trans-Atlantic defense-industrial cooperation, as well as tackle production shortages, according to the MoD.

“Scaling up production is important to continue support to Ukraine and for the defense of the NATO treaty area,” the MoD said. “This way, Defence hopes to contribute to production and accelerated delivery of Amraams with the U.S. and other NATO countries.”

A proactive international approach to joint production fits in the Dutch defense strategy for industry and innovation, the MoD said. Raytheon and the Dutch MoD didn’t immediately respond to emailed questions about the planned study, or the possibilities for joint manufacturing.

The Royal Netherlands Air Force is already a user of Raytheon’s Amraam missile, with the radar-guided beyond-visual-range missile equipping the country’s F-35 fighter jets. The Amraam missile also arms Kongsberg’s NASAMS ground-based medium-range air-defense system, which the Dutch have said they are buying .

The Netherlands doesn’t currently manufacture tactical missiles, though the country has several companies with advanced aerospace and defense capabilities that might supply components or engineering, including GKN Aerospace and Thales Nederland.

Belgium is also an F-35 user, and plans to buy NASAMS systems. The country’s defense industry was negotiating with Raytheon parent RTX to manufacture Amraam missiles, local broadcaster VRT reported in July , without saying where it got the information. Belgian arms manufacturer FN Herstal said there was no agreement yet with RTX, according to VRT.

The U.S. State Department in September approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Netherlands of as many as 232 AIM-120C-8 missiles for an estimated cost of $570 million. Poland and Germany also received FMS approval this year to buy Amraam missiles.

The AIM-120 missile was reportedly used in September to down Russian drones that flew into Poland. Dutch F-35s participated in intercepting the intruders, while Poland also has the missile in its inventory.

Raytheon has a joint venture with pan-European missile maker MBDA to manufacture munitions for the Patriot ground-based air-defense system in Germany, and in August signed a memorandum of understanding with Diehl Defence to co-produce parts of the Stinger short-range air-defense missile in Europe.

The American defense company has been touting its European ties as the European Union pushes for member states to spend more of their defense procurement in the 27-nation bloc.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——荷兰国防部表示，在美国批准进行可行性研究后，雷神公司将探索在荷兰生产其AIM-120先进中程空空导弹的可能性。

荷兰国防部周一晚间在一份声明中表示，明年的研究将调查荷兰工业如何为AIM-120 Amraam导弹的生产、组装和维护做出贡献。

荷兰方面表示，此次双边合作是与欧洲北约伙伴联合生产AIM-120导弹的第一步。荷兰国防部称，这将深化跨大西洋防务工业合作，并有助于解决导弹生产短缺问题。

英国国防部表示：“扩大生产规模对于继续支持乌克兰和保卫北约条约区至关重要。国防部希望通过这种方式，与美国和其他北约国家合作，为先进中程空空导弹的生产和加速交付做出贡献。”

荷兰国防部表示，积极主动的国际联合生产方式符合荷兰国防工业和创新战略。雷神公司和荷兰国防部尚未回复关于这项计划研究或联合制造可能性的电子邮件问询。

荷兰皇家空军已在使用雷神公司生产的Amraam导弹，这种雷达制导的超视距导弹装备于该国的F-35战斗机。Amraam导弹也装备于康斯伯格公司生产的NASAMS陆基中程防空系统，荷兰方面已表示正在采购该系统。

荷兰目前不生产战术导弹，但该国拥有几家具备先进航空航天和国防能力的公司，可能会提供零部件或工程技术，其中包括 GKN Aerospace 和 Thales Nederland。

比利时也是F-35战机的用户，并计划购买NASAMS系统。据当地电视台VRT 7月份报道，比利时国防工业正在与雷神公司母公司RTX就生产Amraam导弹进行谈判，但VRT并未透露消息来源。VRT援引比利时武器制造商FN Herstal的话称，该公司尚未与RTX达成任何协议。

美国国务院9月份批准了一项可能向荷兰出售多达232枚AIM-120C-8导弹的对外军售计划，预计总价值5.7亿美元。波兰和德国今年也获得了对外军售批准，将购买Amraam导弹。

据报道，AIM-120导弹于9月被用于击落飞入波兰境内的俄罗斯无人机。荷兰的F-35战斗机参与了拦截行动，而波兰自身也装备了这种导弹。

雷神公司与泛欧导弹制造商 MBDA 成立了一家合资企业，在德国生产爱国者地面防空系统的弹药；8 月，雷神公司与迪尔防务公司签署了一份谅解备忘录，在欧洲共同生产毒刺短程防空导弹的部件。

这家美国国防公司一直在吹嘘其与欧洲的关系，因为欧盟正在推动成员国将更多的国防采购支出用于欧盟内部。

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。