Pentagon Awards Raytheon $1.2 billion Bid To Reinforce Air Defense Of Ukraine

The Pentagon announced on November 30 that the U.S. Army awarded a $1.2 billion contract to Raytheon Co., to help Ukraine bolster its air defenses by procuring six National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS). The United States last month pledged to provide Ukraine with eight NASAMS to defend against Russia’s constant missile attacks.

According to a report this week by the U.S. Department of Defense, two of these systems are already operating in Ukraine with great success. The other six NASAMS will be sent to Ukraine once they have been built. The NASAMS were first pledged to Kyiv under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) in July, and bids were opened to military contractors for the development of the other six systems. Providing arms to Ukraine under the USAI enables the Biden administration to procure weapons for Ukraine from industry contractors rather than using presidential drawdowns to send arms from existing weapons stocks.

The Raytheon contract also includes providing Ukraine with associated equipment, services and spare parts to keep the advanced air defense systems operational. The work to develop the NASAMS will be completed by Nov. 28, 2025.