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Raytheon has signed a memorandum of understanding with Diehl Defence to co-produce key elements of the Stinger anti-air missile in Europe.
The subsidiary of American defence prime RTX recently signed the agreement which is expected to lay the groundwork for the extension of production for Stinger missiles at Diehl Defence.
The Stinger missile system has traditionally been used as a lightweight and self-contained air defence system deployed by ground troops against cruise missiles and aircraft.
“Stinger is the surface-to-air missile of choice for 24 countries, including Germany and nine other NATO members,” Raytheon Land and Air Defense Systems president Tom Laliberty said.
“We are seeing historically high demand for Stinger because of its unrivalled effectiveness and success against a variety of short-range threats.”
Raytheon has produced and supported upgrades over the life of the program resulting in a highly accurate guidance and control system that provides an operational edge against targets, according to Laliberty.
Diehl Defence is assessing various options for increasing production capacity, both at existing sites and other locations, according to the agreement.
“For Diehl Defence, relaunching production for Stinger missiles builds on our proven capabilities and expertise in that product range and fits seamlessly in our strong standing on the market for ground-based air defence systems,” Diehl Defence chief executive officer Helmut Rauch said.
