Netherlands and the United States have moved closer to launching a new joint defense project localized production of the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile by Raytheon. According to the Dutch Ministry of Defence, this marks the first time this missile will be co-produced with a European NATO partner.
The U.S. government has already approved the technical and economic assessment, and now the Netherlands is analyzing how its defense industry can contribute to the manufacturing, assembly, and maintenance of these missiles.
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The Dutch MoD also emphasized that expanding production capacity is essential to further support Ukraine and strengthen NATO's collective defense.
From a Defense Express perspective, the Netherlands indeed has the foundation for local AMRAAM production. The country can rely on Thales Nederland (formerly Signaal, once owned by Philips), which has strong expertise in naval radar technologies, as well as Fokker now part of the UK's GKN specializing in aerospace components manufacturing.
A fair question arises, however: why are the Dutch pursuing the U.S.-made AIM-120 AMRAAM instead of the European Meteor by MBDA? Especially given that Meteor has a longer engagement range 200 km compared to the AIM-120D3's 160–180 km.
The answer is quite straightforward. First, Meteor has yet to be integrated with the F-35. Work on integrating it with the British F-35B began in 2021, but the timeline has already slipped to the early 2030s. London officially attributes the delays to Lockheed Martin, since the integration depends on upgrading the F-35B to the Block 4 standard.
Even once the British complete integration, that doesnt necessarily mean it will be compatible with the Dutch F-35A fleet. For reference, the UK integrated Meteor on its Eurofighter Typhoon in 2018, while Germany only followed suit in 2024.
Another factor is versatility. The AIM-120 is a multi-role missile that also arms NASAMS air defense systems. The Netherlands currently operates two NASAMS batteries and plans to acquire 13 more, intending to equip them not only with standard AIM-120s but also with the extended-range AMRAAM-ER (50 km). Meanwhile, MBDA has shown no public interest in adapting the Meteor for surface-to-air use.
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