Raytheon, an RTX business, and Diehl Defence have signed a Memorandum of \Understanding (MoU) to co-produce key elements of the Stinger® missile in Europe. This agreement lays the groundwork for the extension of production for Stinger missiles at Diehl Defence as part of the company’s growth plan.
“Stinger is the surface-to-air missile of choice for 24 countries, including Germany and nine other NATO members,” said Tom Laliberty, President of Land & Air Defense Systems at Raytheon.
“We are seeing historically high demand for Stinger because of its unrivaled effectiveness and success against a variety of short-range threats,” he added.
The Stinger missile is a lightweight, combat-proven and self-contained air defense system deployed by ground troops against cruise missiles and aircraft.
“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,” said Helmut Rauch, Diehl Defence CEO.
Diehl Defence is assessing various options for increasing production capacity, both at existing sites and other locations.
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.
Raytheon, an RTX business, is a leading provider of defense solutions to help the U.S. government, allies and partners defend their national sovereignty and ensure their security. For more than 100 years, Raytheon has developed new technologies and enhanced existing capabilities in integrated air and missile defense, smart weapons, missiles, advanced sensors and radars, offensive and defensive cybersecurity tools, interceptors, space-based systems, hypersonics and missile defense across land, air, sea and space.
RTX is the world’s largest aerospace and defense company. With more than 185,000 global employees, and through industry-leading businesses (Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon), RTX is advancing aviation, engineering integrated defense systems for operational success, and developing next-generation technology solutions and manufacturing to help global customers address their most critical challenges. The company, with 2024 sales of more than $80 billion, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, USA.
As a reliable partner of the German and international armed forces, Diehl Defence is a leading system house for air defence systems. In addition to systems for ground-based air defence, the product portfolio of the company headquartered in Überlingen (Germany) includes guided missiles for all branches of the armed forces, ammunition for army, air force and navy as well as protection systems.
In addition, Diehl Defence develops and produces key components such as infrared modules, fuzes and special batteries. Diehl Defence currently employs around 4,500 people generating annual sales of over 2.0 billion euros.
