According to the Pentagon’s announcement, Raytheon has secured a contract valued at a maximum of USD 418 million, while Lockheed Martin’s contract is worth nearly USD 312 million.
Both contracts are focused on the “modernization and successor” of the Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, with development work slated to continue until March 12 and June 12, 2028, respectively. American companies have already received USD 26.1 million from the fiscal year 2023 budget for initial work.
These signed contracts represent a crucial step in the process of selecting and delivering a successor to the Stinger Man-Portable Air-Defence System (MANPADS). The U.S. Army has been actively exploring opportunities to acquire a new generation of portable MANPADS systems for several years.
In 2020, a request for information was issued, covering the potential delivery of 8,000 missiles, followed by another request in 2022, this time encompassing 10,000 missiles. The second announcement formally addressed a system designed for new-generation missiles intended for M-SHORAD air-defence systems (currently utilizing Stingers). Simultaneously, it also considered the possibility of using the missile in a portable, shoulder-launched variant.
The new-generation portable air defence system programme initially considered three proposals submitted in the second half of 2022: Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon. However, in the first quarter of this year, the U.S. Army decided to advance two proposals to the next stage. Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have been entrusted with the programme’s implementation. Following the completion of development work, a contractor will be chosen to commence mass production of the new air defence system.
