Raytheon Technologies, who is now promoting itself under new brand RTX, has announced a contract awarded by the US government on manufacture of AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles. The total contract worth is USD 1.15 billion, it includes producing D-3 and C-8 variants of the AIM-120, which have a reported range of 160-180 km.
The company notes, this is the biggest AMRAAM missile contract it has received to date, and the fifth one within the Form, Fit, Function Refresh (F3R) program, namely an updated version of the missile with better electronics and software. To fulfill this order, the company will expand its production capacities.
Read more: Ukrainian Aircraft Will Get AIM-9 Air-to-Air Missile to Take Down Kh-101 and Shahed Drones
The total number of missiles that will be made under this contract was not disclosed. However, in March 2023, the US Department of Defense published a report on the planned weapons procurement in fiscal year 2024 (starting October 1, 2023). According to the document, 831 AMRAAM missiles were planned for acquisition for $1.14 billion.
With that, the price for an AIM-120 AMRAAM missile in its latest configurations is roughly $1.37 mln as of the fiscal year 2024, although we should keep in mind that the export price could be much bigger. As a reminder, according to the US foreign sales system, it's not the companies who sell the weapons directly to other countries but the US government does – after procuring the required quantity from the manufacturer.
For example, the Netherlands bought AIM-120C-8 missiles for $2.43 mln per unit in 2020 as part of a deal for 16 missiles with a total value of $39 mln. Hungary offered half a billion dollars for 180 missiles in the AIM-120C-7 variant, or $2.77 mln per unit.
Raytheon specifies that the list of end-users includes the US Air Force and Navy, as well as other 18 countries. Ukraine is among them, we must note. The Ukrainian air defense system that uses these missiles is NASAMS, there were also considerations about adapting the missile to be fired by Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets.
Read more: Adapting MiG-29 For the AIM-120 is Difficult and Barely Any Efficient
