US Air Force awards Raytheon $170 million contract for Infrared-Guided Maverick missiles
The US Air Force awarded Raytheon Company a $170 million Foreign Military Sales contract to produce AGM-65D and AGM-65G2 infrared-guided Maverick air-to-surface missiles for the United Arab Emirates.
The AGM-65 Maverick family of precision-attack missiles is used by the air, naval and marine forces of 33 countries. More than 69,000 missiles have been produced to date, and more than 6,000 have been used in combat with a 93 percent success rate.
"Raytheon's Maverick is an affordable, combat-proven missile integrated on more than 25 aircraft with a history of on-cost and on-schedule delivery," said Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon Missile System's Air Warfare Systems' product line. "While the Maverick family is a best-value solution for the warfighter who needs a direct-attack weapon, the infrared-guided Maverick is ideally suited to counter high-speed maneuvering sea targets such as swarming boats."
Raytheon will build and provide life-cycle support for more than 500 new missiles. The company began production of the missile's IR guidance and control sections in November 2008.
Source: Raytheon
More from Defence Notes
-
Australia’s Exercise Talisman Sabre concludes after a series of firsts
More than 40,000 military personnel from 19 participating nations took part in the 11th iteration of the biennial Exercise Talisman Sabre multi-domain event which was held across Australia and in Papua New Guinea.
-
US Africa Command targets logistic solutions
AFRICOM is seeking IT systems and supply chain management solutions to enhance interoperability and standardise logistical processes in its area of responsibility.
-
Rheinmetall sales up by almost a quarter on wave of German spending
Germany’s Rheinmetall released its 1H 2025 results on 7 August, continuing the strong growth of recent years. A particular highlight of the result’s presentation was the Skyranger air defence system for which the company is predicting sales of about US$8.2 billion from the German Government before the end of the year.
-
Defence companies continue to ride procurement wave
Vehicle and technology companies are reporting substantial growth compared to the first half of 2024. Italy’s Fincantieri saw revenues jump 24% for the first half of the year compared to 2024 and Thales up 6.8% for the same period. General Dynamics reported second quarter revenue growth of 8.9% for the second quarter compared to last year and MilDef reported organic order intake growth of 58%.
-
Singapore plots a way forward with new technology and formation reform
Singapore spends about 3.5% of GDP on defence and the section’s budget sits on high on the proportion of national spending. The country is investing in uncrewed technology, medium- and long-range fires and new submarines and ships with the hunt also on for new maritime patrol aircraft.
-
World Defense Show promises bigger and better event for 2026
At this year's IDEF in Istanbul, Shephard spoke to World Defense Show (WDS) CEO Andrew Pearcey about his event's strategic role in Saudi Arabia, its themes and new features for 2026 and how it has grown since its launch in 2022.