Raytheon lands record $3.5 billion AMRAAM deal: missiles from Japan to Ukraine

The US Department of Defense has awarded Raytheon the largest contract in the AIM-120 AMRAAM program’s history: $3.5 billion. The deal also covers Foreign Military Sales to Japan, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and Ukraine.

The AIM-120 AMRAAM is a NATO-standard beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missile in dozens of inventories.

At a Glance

What: Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM production contract
Amount: $3.5 billion — the largest in program history
Buyers (FMS): Japan, Canada, Germany, UK, Ukraine and the US
System: active-radar-guided, beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missile
Context: surging air-combat demand from Ukraine and the Middle East

The largest deal in the program’s history

The US Department of Defense has signed a $3.5 billion contract with Raytheon for production of the AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) — the largest single award in the program’s history.

The contract covers not only the US Air Force and Navy but also Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to a range of allies, including Japan, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and Ukraine — a sign of how rapidly intensifying air combat in Ukraine and the Middle East is depleting missile stocks.

Short-range infrared air-to-air missiles like the AIM-9X Sidewinder, alongside beyond-visual-range missiles such as AMRAAM, form the two ends of modern air combat.

AMRAAM and beyond-visual-range combat

With an active radar seeker, the AIM-120 is a “fire-and-forget” weapon able to engage targets at beyond-visual-range (BVR). It is integrated with platforms such as the F-16, F-15, F/A-18, F-35, Typhoon and Gripen. The latest variants of this NATO-standard missile feature improved ECCM (counter-jamming) and extended range.

Item	Value
Contract	$3.5 billion (program record)
Manufacturer	Raytheon (RTX)
Missile	AIM-120 AMRAAM, active-radar BVR
Buyers	US + Japan, Canada, Germany, UK, Ukraine
Integration	F-16, F-15, F/A-18, F-35, Typhoon, Gripen

GÖKDOĞAN is the beyond-visual-range missile of the GÖKTUĞ program, a domestic alternative to AMRAAM.

The mega-deal is a reminder of the strategic cost of relying on imported air-to-air missiles. Turkey took a critical step here with the GÖKTUĞ program: the within-visual-range BOZDOĞAN and beyond-visual-range GÖKDOĞAN missiles indigenize AMRAAM-class capability, building a domestic arsenal for KAAN, HÜRJET and the F-16 fleet.