Raytheon awarded $1.2 billion contract for Ukraine missile systems

Dec. 1 (UPI) -- American weapons manufacturer Raytheon Technologies has been awarded a $1.2 billion U.S. Army contract to deliver six National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, along with equipment and support, to Ukraine.

The new contract comes as renewed Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure left millions without power in the war-torn nation.

The Raytheon contract is significant because it involves the construction and upgrading of new weapons, marking a departure from the government's previous military aid packages, which have typically come from the Department of Defense's existing weapons stockpiles.

Billions of dollars worth of American aide has gone to Ukraine through the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the president to deliver weapons from existing U.S. stockpiles, and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which provides logistical support, supplies, intelligence and weapon replacements.

Raytheon has been criticized for using loopholes to lobby lawmakers to provide weapons to Saudi Arabia during the violent air campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has been accused of deliberately targeting civilians during the war.

The Raytheon contract's estimated completion date is Nov. 28, 2025.