Wall Street Journal
• Elias Schisgall
The U.S. Army awarded Northrop Grumman $4.8 billion for CIRCM infrared countermeasure systems, while RTX units secured contracts worth up to $20.95 billion for AMRAAM production and Navy GPS range instrumentation, training and support through 2031.
Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons
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The U.S. Army awarded Northrop Grumman $4.8 billion for CIRCM infrared countermeasure systems, while RTX units secured contracts worth up to $20.95 billion for AMRAAM production and Navy GPS range instrumentation, training and support through 2031.
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The Pentagon is accelerating munitions output with a provisional multiyear RTX-Raytheon contract worth $20.7 billion to nearly double AMRAAM production and replenish stocks depleted by conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. Separate awards advance Boeing’s JDAM Long Range into initial production and fund Northrop Grumman’s F-35 APG-85 radar components.
A Tucson, Arizona, factory operated by RTX is working around the clock to increase output of Tomahawk and other missiles in short supply for U.S. operations against Iran. The rush highlights the immediate pressure on defense manufacturers to close production gaps during active operations.
The United States has secured authority to establish Golden Dome missile-defense capabilities in Greenland, clearing the way for the Pentagon to expand homeland defenses around Pituffik Space Base. The U.S. Space Force already operates a ballistic missile warning radar at the site.
The U.S. Navy is advancing Blackbeard, a lower-cost, rapidly producible standoff weapon, with the missile recently seen flying on an F/A-18 Super Hornet for the first time. The service aims to field the capability no later than 2028.
Anduril’s Barracuda cruise missile has received U.S. Air Force certification as its first large-scale production munition with an open systems architecture. Latvia is moving to acquire the long-range weapon, potentially expanding NATO’s eastern flank precision-strike capability as regional conventional firepower increases.
York Space Systems told investors that winning work on the $185 billion Golden Dome missile defense project would drive growth, but says its prospects are being challenged by SpaceX’s dominance in Pentagon contracting. The episode highlights the competitive pressure facing space companies pursuing major defense programs.
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Saab says its RBS15 Mk4 anti-ship missile is ready for operational introduction with Sweden’s Gripen fighters, while the company signs space-focused MoUs with SSC Space, OHB Sweden and Ericsson. Separately, India has ordered additional SAT-SAAW glide bombs for its air force.
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