RTX business Raytheon and Diehl Defence have reached an agreement co-manufacture critical components for the Stinger missile system in Europe.
Both the companies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). The partnership is poised to bolster production capabilities at Diehl Defence, aligning with the company's trajectory for expansion.
Raytheon land & air defence systems president Tom Laliberty said: "Stinger is the surface-to-air missile of choice for 24 countries, including Germany and nine other Nato members.
"We are seeing historically high demand for Stinger because of its unrivalled effectiveness and success against a variety of short-range threats."
The Nato Support and Procurement Agency secured a deal to acquire 940 FIM-92K Stinger Block I Missiles from RTX for Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands last year, with the contract valued at $780m.
The Stinger missile serves as a portable, self-contained air defence system used by ground forces to counter cruise missiles and aircraft.
According to Raytheon, the weapon has achieved more than 270 intercepts involving both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.
It is used by 19 countries and all four branches of the US military.
Diehl Defence CEO Helmut Rauch said: "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 is actively exploring avenues to enhance its production capacity, both at current facilities or potentially establishing new sites to meet the anticipated increase in demand.
Throughout the Stinger programme's duration, Raytheon has been instrumental in producing and providing ongoing enhancements, leading to the development of a precision guidance and control system that offers users a strategic advantage during operations, according to RTX.
The Stinger-Reprogrammable Microprocessor (RMP) variant is claimed to deliver a success rate exceeding 90% in reliability and training evaluations.
In April 2025, the US approved the sale of FIM-92K Stinger Block I missiles to Morocco for an estimated cost of $825m (Dh7.7bn).
