Raytheon CEO says production of Stinger missiles for Ukraine will be slow

Raytheon Technology, the defense contractor that produces the Stinger missiles, will have difficulty replenishing its stocks as the weapons are donated to the Ukrainian military, the company’s CEO has revealed.

As of April 22, the United States has provided more than $3.7 billion in military aid to Ukraine since the invasion of Russia in late February, and that sum includes more than 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, according to a reading from the Ministry of Defence.

CEO Greg Hayes said on an earnings call Tuesday that Raytheon “is going to have to redesign some of the missile and homing electronics,” which “is going to take us a bit of time,” according to defense one.

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The Pentagon hasn’t ordered new Stingers in years, but has ordered various parts. The US military doesn’t have much use for the weapon, which can be used quickly to defend against helicopters, planes and drones.

Raytheon also adjusted its expected earnings for the year, at least in part due to the shutdown of its work in Russia.

‘We’re done with Russia, period… We’re not going to support the airlines’, Hayes mentioned. “We are not going to support development programs. We are not going to support Russian customers in the future.”

During a meeting earlier this month between Pentagon officials and defense contractors, Hayes reportedly noted that it could take six to 12 months to restart a munitions production line, according to Reuters.

Senior Pentagon officials met with leaders of the Department of Defense’s eight largest contractors earlier this month to discuss the military aid the United States is providing to Ukrainian forces.

Under Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen H. Hicks; Andrew Hunter, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment; and other senior Department of Defense officials participated in the classified meeting Wednesday with representatives from Boeing Defense, Space & Security; L3Harris Technologies; Raytheon Technologies; BAE systems; Lockheed Martin Company; Huntington Ingalls Industries; General dynamics; and Northrop Grumman.

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“There are very specific issues around Stinger and some obsolescence issues that we need to overcome,” Hicks said, according to breaking defense. “It’s because we in the United States are focused on new capabilities. So now we want to make sure we can produce, or see what it takes to produce, what we need for this crisis.