AMRAAM missile (Photo: wikipedia.or)

The U.S. Department of Defense has signed a $3.5 billion contract with Raytheon Technologies for the production of AMRAAM missiles and related equipment. They will be transferred to Ukraine and allied countries, it says on the Pentagon's website.

The agreement includes supplies to Ukraine and 18 other countries. These include Denmark, Belgium, Japan, the Netherlands, Canada, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Taiwan, Lithuania, the UK, Australia, Switzerland, Israel, and Kuwait.

The contract provides for the production of missiles, telemetry systems, spare parts and engineering support.

The work will be carried out in Tucson, Arizona, until the third quarter of fiscal year 2031, the defense department said in a statement.

Reference

AMRAAM missiles are the main weapon of F-15, F-16, F/A-18 and F-22 fighters. Their cost depends on the modification and ranges from $1.2 million to almost $2 million per unit.

One version of the AMRAAM is also used in the NASAMS air defense systems. In this version, the missile can hit targets at a distance of 20-25 km, and in the AMRAAM ER (Extended Range) modification – up to 40 km.

In combat aviation, AMRAAM missiles are capable of shooting down air targets at a distance of more than 100 km, with a hit probability of up to 85%.