Raytheon of the United States has entered into a partnership with Germany’s Diehl Defence to co-produce critical components of the Stinger surface-to-air missile in Europe. The collaboration, sealed through a memorandum of understanding, will see Diehl evaluate ways to expand its production facilities to meet growing global demand for the weapon. The Stinger is optimized for intercepting low-altitude aerial threats, including helicopters and drones.
Diehl’s CEO Helmut Rauch highlighted the significance of the agreement, stating that restarting Stinger missile production aligns with Diehl’s long-standing expertise in ground-based air defense systems, further consolidating its strong role in the defense market.
Originally introduced in 1981, the Stinger MANPADS had seen production paused for nearly two decades. However, the recent rise of drone warfare and the Russia-Ukraine conflict have driven demand sharply upward. Since 2022, the US alone has transferred more than 3,000 Stinger units to Ukraine’s armed forces.
Beyond Europe, the Indo-Pacific region is also a driver of Stinger demand. Taiwan has been actively enlarging its arsenal amid rising tensions with China, prompting Washington to weigh the possibility of local missile production in Taipei. At the same time, the US is refurbishing older stock under a service life extension program—with 1,900 missiles upgraded last year—while developing the Next-Generation Short-Range Interceptor (NGSRI) to eventually replace the system.
