Raytheon has announced plans to significantly expand European production of Stinger man-portable air defense missile, a move aimed at increasing manufacturing capacity and strengthening NATO's defense industrial base. The initiative will involve extensive localization of missile production across Europe and is expected to double overall Stinger output.
Under the new arrangement, the final assembly of Stinger missiles will take place in the Netherlands at a facility that has not yet been publicly identified. Dutch companies will also manufacture several key components, marking a substantial increase in the country's role in the production of one of the world's most widely used short-range air defense systems.
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A critical element of the missile, the infrared seeker, will be produced by Germany's Diehl Defence. The company is best known for developing the IRIS-T family of air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles, making it a logical choice to supply one of Stinger system's most technologically demanding components.
The decision to place final assembly in the Netherlands comes despite earlier reports that production would be established at COMLOG, the joint venture between Raytheon and MBDA in Schrobenhausen, Germany. In 2025, COMLOG was widely expected to become the European production hub for Stinger missiles, while also preparing to launch a production line for Patriot GEM-T PAC-2 interceptor missiles.
Raytheon has not explained why the Netherlands was ultimately selected instead of Germany. One possible reason is the heavy workload already assigned to COMLOG, which is expanding production of Patriot missile components alongside other defense programs. Distributing manufacturing across multiple facilities could also improve resilience and increase production capacity.
Germany has previous experience manufacturing Stinger system. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the country produced a licensed version known as Fliegerfaust 2 at Dornier facilities. However, the end of the Cold War sharply reduced demand for the weapon, while the financial collapse and restructuring of Daimler-Benz's defense business eventually ended the production program.
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