logo
AIM-120 missile demand is surging. The Pentagon just signed a $3.5 billion deal to keep up.

AIM-120 missile demand is surging. The Pentagon just signed a $3.5 billion deal to keep up.

The Pentagon just inked a record $3.5 billion deal with RTX for AIM-120 air-to-air missiles. It's a massive order that underscores how global conflicts are stressing stockpiles and dramatically increasing demand for key munitions.
Demand for the AMRAAM has been growing amid global crises like the war in Ukraine and fights in the Middle East.
The massive deal, which was part of a total $7.8 billion awarded to Lockheed Martin and RTX for missile production, was signed late last month. Other systems in the contracts include Lockheed Martin's Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) and the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM).
The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM, award was especially notable, not only for its size but the number of allies and partners that will receive the missile.
The Foreign Military Sales portion of the massive contract includes Japan, Canada, Germany, the UK, and Ukraine, RTX told Business Insider. The Department of Defense contract details identified sales to 19 allies and partners.
It also comes less than a year after a $1.2 billion contract for the AMRAAM, another record-breaking deal that followed a $1.15 billion deal in 2023. These three deals point to a demand to refill and expand stockpiles.
"As global conflicts intensify and air threats become more sophisticated, AMRAAM continues to give allied forces a decisive edge in combat," said Sam Deneke, the president of Air & Space Defense Systems at Raytheon, said in a statement.
The AIM-120 has seen use in Ukraine, with both Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets and Norway's Kongsberg Defense and Raytheon's National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS). The AMRAAM has also seen use in the Middle East by the US planes battling the Houthis and other threats. These conflicts pull from US and allied stockpiles.
The weapon is an all-weather, beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile with active radar for decreased dependence on the aircraft for intercepts. There are multiple variants of the AIM-120.
The newest one is the AIM-120D, which has a reported range exceeding 100 miles. It's highly useful for taking out air threats like uncrewed aerial vehicles and drones, but it's also an expensive tradeoff, with each AIM-120 costing around $1 million.
The US has pursued alternatives to taking out these threats, and military officials have acknowledged that the need for more cost-effective answers.
Part of the demand for the AIM-120 is that it's a highly desired system by militaries around the world. It is an essential weapon as countries consider air dominance and defense demands in modern warfighting.
Despite many other investments in air-to-air systems, "the AIM-120 AMRAAM series remains and likely will remain the backbone of Western and Western-aligned air-to-air weaponry for many years to come," Justin Bronk, an airpower expert at the London-based Royal United Services Institute, told Business Insider.
RTX highlighted that the AMRAAM is used on 14 different platforms, including fighter aircraft and surface-to-air missile systems, in 44 countries and is combat-proven.
Global usage of the missile, Bronk said, has far outpaced production, making the new contract not only important for filling stockpiles but also increasing production capacity.
Decades of steady usage have left stockpiles thin, with lawmakers in Washington expressing concern about existing stocks. Among other efforts to boost the numbers, the US and Japan are now considering co-production of the AIM-120 to help close the gap.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Microsoft Planning Return-to-Office Mandate: Report
Microsoft Planning Return-to-Office Mandate: Report

Entrepreneur

time4 hours ago

  • Entrepreneur

Microsoft Planning Return-to-Office Mandate: Report

Microsoft employees at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, may soon be mandated back to the office, according to new reports. Microsoft is planning to implement a stricter return-to-office mandate as soon as next year, sources told Business Insider. Since the pandemic, Microsoft has had a flexible work arrangement, allowing remote work as much as half of the time. According to the BI report, Microsoft is considering increasing the requirement for in-person work for employees based in its Redmond, Washington, headquarters to at least three days a week starting in January. Microsoft is still working out the details of the plan and intends to announce it in September, the sources said. A Microsoft spokesperson told BI that the company was considering revising its flexible work schedule, but had yet to finalize any changes. Related: Microsoft Just Became the Second Company in History to Achieve a $4 Trillion Valuation — Here's How A return-to-office mandate could impact tens of thousands of Microsoft employees. As of June 30, Microsoft employed 228,000 workers, with 125,000 located in the U.S. If Microsoft implements a stricter return-to-office policy, it would join a slew of other companies that have tightened the limits on remote work recently — or eliminated it altogether. In 2025, both AT&T and Sweetgreen revised their stances on remote work, with AT&T asking U.S. staff to work all five days from the office while Sweetgreen mandated four days. Both companies previously required staff to work in person three days a week. Meanwhile, Amazon announced a sweeping return-to-office mandate in September, requiring employees to work from the office five days a week starting in January instead of adhering to a hybrid schedule. Though the move met with pushback from staff — and inspired 500 employees to sign a letter in protest — Amazon persisted with the move. Related: Amazon Tells Thousands of Employees to Relocate or Resign According to a study conducted last year by Bamboo HR, return-to-office mandates were often layoffs in disguise, designed to pare down a workforce without conducting official job cuts. About a quarter of C-Suite executives surveyed wanted to inspire "voluntary turnover" with stricter return-to-office policies. Mass Layoffs Despite Stellar Earnings Microsoft recently conducted mass layoffs, eliminating 9,000 roles in July, or nearly 4% of its workforce. Two months earlier, in May, Microsoft laid off over 6,000 employees, or 3% of its workforce. At the same time, Microsoft has reported stellar earnings, greater than analyst expectations. Last month, Microsoft announced that for the quarter ending June 30, revenue was up 18% from the previous year, reaching $76.4 billion, while net income was $27.2 billion, a 24% increase. Related: Microsoft's CEO Says the Company's Mass Layoffs, Despite Financial Success, Are 'Weighing Heavily on Me' in an Internal Memo Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella explained the job cuts in a memo to staff released on Microsoft's corporate blog last month. Nadella acknowledged the discrepancy between Microsoft's "thriving" financials and his decision to still lay off staff. "This is the enigma of success in an industry that has no franchise value," Nadella wrote, without explaining further. Microsoft stock is up over 24% year-to-date at the time of writing.

Musk said a group tried to attack a woman before DOGE's Edward Coristine intervened. Here's what the police report says.
Musk said a group tried to attack a woman before DOGE's Edward Coristine intervened. Here's what the police report says.

Business Insider

time4 hours ago

  • Business Insider

Musk said a group tried to attack a woman before DOGE's Edward Coristine intervened. Here's what the police report says.

A key member of the Department of Government Efficiency was attacked in an attempted carjacking in Washington, DC, over the weekend, authorities said — and a newly-released police report sheds light on what the staffer said happened. Elon Musk, the onetime de facto leader of the government agency, and President Donald Trump spoke out after the assault left 19-year-old software engineer Edward Coristine beaten and bloodied. Musk, in a Tuesday evening post on X that reshared Trump's earlier social media post threatening a federal takeover, said it was time to "federalize DC" as he shared his version of events. "A few days ago, a gang of about a dozen young men tried to assault a woman in her car at night in DC," Musk wrote. "A @Doge team member saw what was happening, ran to defend her and was severely beaten to the point of concussion, but he saved her." A few days ago, a gang of about a dozen young men tried to assault a woman in her car at night in DC. A @Doge team member saw what was happening, ran to defend her and was severely beaten to the point of concussion, but he saved her. It is time to federalize DC. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 5, 2025 Business Insider obtained a copy of the incident report from the Metropolitan Police Department. The police report says that around 3 a.m. on Sunday, MPD officers in a cruiser saw a group of about 10 young people surrounding Coristine's car and assaulting him. The officers quickly intervened, and the suspects started to run, according to the incident report. Police were able to stop two of them — a 15-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl — who they later arrested on a charge of unarmed carjacking. Coristine told police that the group approached him and a woman, identified in the report as his "significant other," and made a comment about taking the vehicle, the police report said. "At that point, for her safety, he pushed his significant other" into the vehicle "and turned to deal with the suspects," the police report said, adding that the assailants then began to beat Coristine. The Metropolitan Police Department said in a press release that the couple was standing next to their vehicle on Swann Street when the suspects first approached, "demanded" the vehicle, and then assaulted Coristine. The police report says that an iPhone 16 was stolen during the incident. Coristine was treated at the scene for his injuries by emergency responders, police said. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Department told Business Insider that its incident report is accurate and contains no errors. Musk officially stepped back from his role in the Trump administration, working with DOGE, in May. Coristine still remains part of the federal government. Coristine, who was once known online as "Big Balls," started working at the Social Security Administration following his DOGE stint. He could not be immediately reached for comment for this story. "Crime in Washington, D.C., is totally out of control," Trump said in his Tuesday Truth Social post, adding, "The most recent victim was beaten mercilessly by local thugs." The post included an apparent photo of Coristine showing him bloodied and shirtless, sitting on the ground.

Why 2025 might be a good year to buy a home after all
Why 2025 might be a good year to buy a home after all

Yahoo

time5 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Why 2025 might be a good year to buy a home after all

Redfin found that home prices fell in 14 of the 50 largest US metros during the final week of July. The price dips are a result of higher mortgage rates, which have cooled buyer demand. With fewer buyers, sellers are offering more perks to those still in the market for a home. It's been a tough market for homebuyers in recent years, but things are finally looking up. Shop Top Mortgage Rates A quicker path to financial freedom Personalized rates in minutes Your Path to Homeownership That's according to a report from Redfin, which found that in the last week of July, the median home-sale price declined in 14 of the 50 most populous US metros. Oakland, California, saw the largest year-over-year decline at 6.8%, followed by West Palm Beach, Jacksonville, Austin, and Houston at 4.9%, 3.1%, 2.9%, and 2.8%, respectively. Nationally, the median home price increased by 2% year-over-year in July — but it's still down from the 5% to 6% gains seen in late 2024 and early 2025. By year's end, Redfin economists expect a 1% annual decline in the national median price. "Home prices are starting to dip because high mortgage rates have pushed many buyers out of the market, weakening demand," Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather told Business Insider. After years of buyer demand outpacing housing supply, the dynamic has flipped in some cities. According to Redfin, many areas now have more homes for sale than buyers. As a result, properties are sitting on the market longer, and many sellers and homebuilders are finding it more difficult to close deals. Those who can still afford to buy are benefiting, as motivated sellers are cutting asking prices and, in many cases, offering incentives or concessions to help buyers reach the finish line. "With fewer buyers in the market, some sellers are more willing to negotiate on price and terms — but others are choosing to delist rather than sell for less. That dynamic is giving buyers a bit more leverage, but it's also keeping inventory tight," Fairweather said. An April report from Redfin shows that home sellers offered concessions in 44.4% of home sales in the first three months of 2025 — a near record high. Concessions can look like a home seller covering repair costs, helping a buyer with down payment or closing expenses, or giving them money to offset higher mortgage rates. Anna Lagos, a San Antonio real estate agent with Our Texas Real Estate, told Business Insider that buyers in her market definitely have more bargaining power. "It's become much harder for homeowners to sell their existing properties," Lagos said, adding that she's seen some sellers offer as much as $10,000 to buy down a buyer's mortgage rate. Lagos said that home builders are feeling the pressure, too. "I'm seeing a lot of price reductions," she said. "One of my clients needed to move right away. The homebuilder offered to start construction as soon as possible and cut the asking price by about $30,000 to $40,000." So if you're in the market for a new home, now might be the time to jump in — or at least see what you can negotiate. Read the original article on Business Insider Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store