Pentagon awards Raytheon up to $20.7 billion to nearly double AMRAAM production

The Defense Department has awarded Raytheon a multiyear contract worth up to $20.7 billion to build Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles, or AMRAAMs. The Pentagon said the deal will nearly double AMRAAM production.

The five-year contract , which includes two option years, is part of the Pentagon’s Arsenal of Freedom campaign to bolster weapons production. The department awarded it Sept. 25 and announced it Monday with RTX , Raytheon’s parent company.

The department said the award is a joint buy by the Air Force, the Navy and allies.

“We are working across the defense industry to ramp production and build the Arsenal of Freedom,” said Michael Duffey, the under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, in a statement. “This award strengthens our ability to equip the Joint Force and our allies with a proven air-to-air capability, ensuring our warfighters maintain a decisive advantage.”

The $20.7 billion ceiling dwarfs the Pentagon’s previous record AMRAAM award, a $3.5 billion contract issued in July 2025. That deal covered missiles for the Air Force, the Navy and allies in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

The department thanked Congress for multiyear procurement authority, which lets the Pentagon commit to buying missiles over several years instead of one at a time. It said it hopes lawmakers will provide more authority and funding to sustain production.

Congress hasn’t yet funded the full deal, according to Reuters , which called the award provisional. Industry executives have warned that defense contractors may hold off on big investments in parts and factories until lawmakers act, Reuters reported.

The award comes as the Pentagon works to rebuild munitions stockpiles drawn down by the war with Iran.

The contract follows five framework agreements Raytheon signed with the department in February, which set long-term production targets ahead of formal contracts. Under those deals, RTX committed to raising annual output to more than 1,000 Tomahawks, at least 1,900 AMRAAMs and more than 500 Standard Missile-6 interceptors.

Neither the Pentagon nor RTX specified how many missiles the new contract buys or an associated annual production rate.

Raytheon President Phil Jasper said in a statement that the company continues to invest in its workforce, supply chain and facilities to “rapidly scale production capacity and meet surging demand” from the Air Force, Navy and international customers.

RTX said it nearly doubled production of AMRAAM and other munitions in 2025 compared with 2024 and is now exploring international co-production.

According to RTX, AMRAAM is the world’s most widely deployed air-to-air missile, fielded by 44 countries, and the primary interceptor for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System. Reuters reported that the ground-based air defense system defends the Washington area and is used by more than a dozen other countries.

The Pentagon is also preparing to build AMRAAM’s successor. Earlier this month, the department signed a framework deal with Lockheed Martin to boost production of the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, which is being developed for the Air Force and Navy to outrange and eventually replace AMRAAM.

Michael Scanlon is a defense journalist covering air and space warfare. A former U.S. Air Force A-10 crew chief, he has supported land and sea programs for the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

美国国防部已授予雷神公司一份价值高达207亿美元的多年期合同，用于生产先进中程空空导弹（AMRAAM）。五角大楼表示，该合同将使AMRAAM的产量几乎翻一番。

这份为期五年的合同（包含两年续约选项）是五角大楼“自由兵工厂”计划的一部分，旨在加强武器生产。国防部于9月25日授予该合同，并于周一与雷神公司母公司RTX共同宣布了这一消息。

该部门表示，此次采购是由空军、海军及其盟友联合进行的。

“我们正与整个国防工业界合作，提高产量，打造‘自由兵工厂’，”负责采购和保障的国防部副部长迈克尔·达菲在一份声明中表示。“这项合同增强了我们为联合部队及其盟友提供成熟可靠的空对空作战能力的能力，确保我们的作战人员保持决定性优势。”

207亿美元的上限远远超过了五角大楼此前创纪录的AMRAAM导弹合同，该合同于2025年7月签订，价值35亿美元。那份合同涵盖了为美国空军、海军以及欧洲、亚洲和中东的盟友提供的导弹。

该部门感谢国会授予的多年采购授权，这使得五角大楼能够承诺在未来几年内一次性购买多枚导弹，而不是一次只买一枚。该部门表示，希望立法者能够提供更多授权和资金，以维持导弹生产。

据路透社报道，国会尚未为该项目全额拨款，因此该项授标目前仍属暂定。路透社还报道称，业内高管警告称，在立法者采取行动之前，国防承包商可能会推迟对零部件和工厂的大规模投资。

五角大楼正努力重建因与伊朗的战争而消耗殆尽的弹药库存，而此次授勋正值此时。

这份合同是在雷神公司2月份与美国国防部签署五项框架协议之后签订的，这些协议在正式合同签订前设定了长期生产目标。根据这些协议，雷神公司承诺将年产量提高到1000枚以上的“战斧”巡航导弹、至少1900枚的先进中程空空导弹（AMRAAM）以及500枚以上的“标准-6”拦截导弹。

五角大楼和RTX公司都没有具体说明新合同购买了多少枚导弹，也没有说明相关的年产量。

雷神公司总裁菲尔·贾斯珀在一份声明中表示，公司将继续投资于员工队伍、供应链和设施，以“迅速扩大生产能力，满足空军、海军和国际客户不断增长的需求”。

RTX表示，与2024年相比，2025年AMRAAM和其他弹药的产量几乎翻了一番，目前正在探索国际合作生产。

据RTX称，AMRAAM是世界上部署最广泛的空空导弹，共有44个国家装备，并且是美国国家先进地对空导弹系统的主要拦截导弹。路透社报道称，该地面防空系统负责保卫华盛顿地区，并被十几个其他国家使用。

五角大楼也在准备建造AMRAAM的后继导弹。本月初，国防部与洛克希德·马丁公司签署了一项框架协议，旨在提高AIM-260联合先进战术导弹的产量。该导弹正在为空军和海军研发，射程将超过AMRAAM，并最终取代AMRAAM。

迈克尔·斯坎伦是一位报道空天战的国防记者。他曾是美国空军A-10攻击机的机组长，并为美国陆军、海军、海军陆战队和海岸警卫队的陆地和海上项目提供支持。