The “groundbreaking agreement” on AMRAAM production “will not only ensure the acquisition of equipment needed by both Japan and the United States, but will also strengthen Japan's defense industry base,” said Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.
Separately, L3Harris announced it won a $6 billion contract from Lockheed Martin for THAAD interceptor propulsion systems.
Distance, sparse infrastructure, and contested communications force a different approach to connectivity.
"This industrial base among our allies is already very interconnected, so we cannot break it up," said Morten Brandtzæg.
In the face of growing air and missile threats in the Pacific, robust radar coverage and command networks will be critical to US and Japanese defense objectives, Tom Karako writes.
“It wasn’t just an AMRAAM that came off,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach told Breaking Defense. “It was tracking the target.”
Under the terms of the agreements, Raytheon will increase annual production of the Tomahawk cruise missile, AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, Standard Missile-6, Standard Missile-3 IIA and Standard Missile-3 IB.
There is no single answer to the drone threat, pushing the Pentagon toward a broader mix of defenses.
The sale would cover up to 400 copies of the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile produced by defense giant RTX, which the Defense Security Cooperation Agency says will “provid[e] increased air-to-air capability for the German F-35 program” and other NATO requirements.
The awards follow a desire by officials to boost the Pentagon’s munitions stockpile.
The services’ unfunded requests, obtained by Breaking Defense, reflect sharp increases compared to last year.
How RTX is helping the Raptor stay ready to dominate the skies.
Architecture that linked sensors, C2, RF effects, and lasers into a distributed c-UAS kill chain.
The possible sale of the RTX-made AMRAAMs includes up to 1,200 missiles.
Drones, high-speed cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles attacking together from 360° creates complexity only certain radars can handle.
The sale was approved by the Biden administration against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, and moved only after two key Democrats removed objections.
Shay Assad, a former Pentagon director of defense pricing, is back assisting the Air Force on three programs - and could be tagged for more in the future.