The Pentagon has placed a record-breaking $3.5 billion order for AIM-120 surface-to-air missiles with American defense giant Raytheon.
The contract includes not only the AIM-120 missiles but also telemetry systems, spare parts, and maintenance services. AIM-120s are widely used in Ukraine, launched from NASAMS air defense systems and F-16 fighter jets, according to The War Zone.
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Defense Express adds that the quantity, modifications, or even the unit cost of the missiles in the contract have not yet been disclosed. However, for a rough estimate, we can make some simple calculations. The cost of a single AIM-120 varies between $1 million and approximately $3.5 million depending on the version.
So, if we assume the full $3.5 billion goes solely to missiles, that would mean 1,000 to 3,500 AIM-120s were ordered. However, again, this is just an estimate, and the real number of missiles is likely significantly lower.
According to the contract, these AIM-120 missiles will be delivered to the Pentagon for further sales to 19 countries, including Japan, Germany, Poland, Australia, the United Kingdom, Israel, Ukraine, and others.
This large-scale procurement is driven by rising global tensions, especially due to the growing threat from russia and China. The war in Ukraine has significantly reduced global missile stockpiles. Moreover, it has revealed that the missile reserves of Western countries are insufficient for modern warfare.
For example, russia can reportedly produce up to 1,600 cruise missiles annually. Recently, the 30,000th Shahed drone was shot down. Based on this, we can estimate that Russia produced around 18,000 Shaheds in the first seven months of 2025. In contrast, Raytheon can manufacture only up to 1,200 AIM-120 missiles per year, which is far from enough.
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