Under the cooperation, Diehl Defence will produce the guidance section, a key component of the Stinger missile. The German company will also source related subcomponents from across Europe.
Raytheon is also working with key Dutch suppliers to produce additional major Stinger assemblies. The final Stinger missile will be assembled, tested and completed in the Netherlands.
“We are laser-focused on doubling our Stinger missile production capacity,” said Tom Laliberty, president of Land & Air Defense Systems at Raytheon. “Expanding Stinger production in Europe strengthens our industrial base and broadens our global network, ensuring our allies have reliable access to this critical air defense capability.”
The Stinger missile is a lightweight, combat-proven and self-contained air defense system. It is deployed by ground troops against cruise missiles and aircraft.
Stinger is the preferred surface-to-air missile for 24 countries. These include 10 NATO members, according to RTX.
“We are proud to work together once again on Stinger, where we previously produced relevant parts of the missile,” said Helmut Rauch, Diehl Defence CEO. “Producing the guidance section for new Stinger systems marks another strong chapter of cooperation between Diehl Defence and Raytheon.”
RTX said the expanded production capacity in Europe will support future work with the NATO Support and Procurement Agency. The company said the effort is intended to help meet European demand.
