U.S. Moves to Mass-Produce 1,900 AMRAAM Missiles a Year to Rebuild Stocks Under $20.7B Deal.

The United States awarded Raytheon a contract worth up to $20.7 billion to raise annual AIM-120 AMRAAM production to at least 1,900 missiles. The expansion nearly doubles previous output and increases capacity to replenish U.S. inventories while meeting growing allied demand.

The five-year multiyear agreement with two option years shifts AMRAAM procurement toward sustained high-rate production for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and Foreign Military Sales customers. The expanded manufacturing base will support larger stocks of the beyond-visual-range missile used across F-15, F-16, F/A-18, F-22 and F-35 fleets while giving suppliers greater visibility to increase industrial capacity.

Related News: US Concludes Largest AIM-120 AMRAAM Contract to Date to Reinforce Air-to-Air Defense Posture

A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II releases an AIM-120 AMRAAM during a live-fire test against a QF-16 target over the Gulf of Mexico on June 12, 2018. (Picture source: US DoD)

The scale of the contract reflects a broader change in how the Pentagon approaches critical munitions procurement. Rather than relying primarily on successive annual production lots, the agreement provides Raytheon with a longer planning horizon intended to support higher output, supplier investment, and manufacturing capacity. Annual AMRAAM production is expected to reach at least 1,900 missiles, nearly doubling previous production levels and placing the weapon on a much larger industrial footing.

According to the U.S. Department of War in an announcement published on September 28, 2026, the contract was formally awarded on September 25 and involves the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and Foreign Military Sales partners. RTX separately confirmed that the five-year multiyear agreement includes two option years and could reach a total value of $20.7 billion. The Department described the award as part of a wider effort to expand the U.S. munitions industrial base and increase sustained production capacity.

AMRAAM remains the principal U.S. beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile and is carried by aircraft including the F-15, F-16, F/A-18, F-22 and F-35. The missile measures about 3.65 meters long, with a diameter of 178 millimeters and a mass of roughly 160 kilograms, depending on the variant. Powered by a solid-fuel rocket motor, the AIM-120 can reach speeds of up to Mach 4, providing the energy needed to intercept fast-moving targets in beyond-visual-range engagements. Its guidance architecture combines inertial navigation during the midcourse phase with active radar homing during terminal engagement. Midcourse data-link updates can refine the missile's trajectory after launch, while the onboard seeker assumes control as it approaches the target. This allows the launching aircraft to maneuver after firing rather than maintain continuous radar illumination throughout the engagement. The missile also carries a high-explosive blast-fragmentation warhead of approximately 20 kilograms.

The AIM-120 family has evolved through several generations. The AIM-120C introduced smaller control surfaces that allowed internal carriage aboard the F-22, alongside improvements in range, guidance, and maneuverability. The later AIM-120D adds improved kinematics, greater resistance to electronic countermeasures, and a two-way data link for updated targeting information during flight. The extended-range AMRAAM-ER adapts the missile family for ground-based air defense, combining AMRAAM guidance and warhead components with a larger rocket motor for systems such as NASAMS.

For combat units, larger AMRAAM inventories provide more depth for sustained air operations and repeated defensive counter-air missions. Fighters may have to engage aircraft, bombers, and cruise missiles across successive sorties while preserving enough weapons for later phases of a campaign. AMRAAM's active seeker and midcourse update capability allow aircraft to prosecute targets beyond visual range before maneuvering away, while networked targeting can support engagements in which the firing aircraft does not necessarily provide all target information itself. The missile is also used across a broad international fleet, including Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale and Gripen operators alongside U.S.-designed fighters.

A production rate approaching 1,900 missiles per year therefore affects more than stockpile replacement. It gives the United States greater capacity to replenish weapons expended during operations, maintain training and readiness allocations, and continue Foreign Military Sales deliveries without relying on comparatively small annual production runs. More than 35 countries operate the AMRAAM family, spanning NATO members, Indo-Pacific partners, and Middle Eastern air forces, creating sustained demand beyond the requirements of the U.S. services themselves. The procurement structure is equally important for the industrial base. Multiyear purchasing gives Raytheon and lower-tier suppliers greater visibility over future demand, making investments in tooling, personnel, propulsion components, seekers and electronics easier to justify. Missile production cannot be expanded immediately once inventories fall because specialized components and manufacturing processes require capacity to be established well before wartime demand emerges. The new agreement attempts to create that depth in advance.

The AMRAAM award also sits within a wider U.S. effort to increase production of high-demand munitions as military planners reassess the quantities required for prolonged high-intensity operations. Allied demand is rising as additional F-35s enter service and European and Indo-Pacific air forces expand their missile stocks. The higher production rate will give the United States more room to supply its own forces while continuing deliveries to allies operating AMRAAM-equipped fighters. In this context, missile availability and the speed at which inventories can be replenished are becoming increasingly important for air-force readiness and sustained combat operations.

Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience studying conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests include security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.