Posted on 05/01/2022 5:20:20 PM PDT by elpadre
It will be years before Raytheon Technologies can build new Stinger shoulder-fired missiles due to a dwindling supply of weapons parts, the company’s CEO said Tuesday.
The U.S. has shipped Stingers to Ukraine’s military, which has used them to shoot down Russian aircraft. But there’s only a finite supply as Raytheon has not made Stinger missiles for the U.S. military in nearly two decades.
“We're going to have to go out and redesign some of the electronics in the missile and the seeker head,” Raytheon Technologies CEO Greg Hayes told investment analysts Tuesday during the company’s quarterly earnings call. “That's going to take us a little bit of time.”
The company has “a very limited stock of material for Stinger production,” Hayes said, as it's currently building a missile for a sole international customer.
In March, Ukraine said it needed 500 Stingers and Javelin anti-tank missiles per day. Raytheon and Lockheed Martin jointly make the Javelin.
In recent weeks, Raytheon executives have met with Pentagon officials about the issues. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks met with Raytheon earlier this month, part of a broader Pentagon effort to replenish American weapon stockpiles and arm the Ukrainians.
“We're actively trying to resource some of the materials,” Hayes said of the Stinger parts.
The CEO said he does not expect the Pentagon to place large replenishment orders for Stingers and Javelins until 2023 or 2024.
(Excerpt) Read more at defenseone.com ...
Years? Could be a lie.
biden sends them all to Ukraine, they get used up.
china attacks us, we have zero left, they walk right in.
JIT happens, especially if you do not keep the supply chain domestic.
Ukraine and Taiwan are scooping them up ASAP. South Korea too. We won’t have any for ourselves. Meanwhile Russian and Chinese versions are being cranked out like candy. The US isn’t taking the threat of war with Russia and China seriously. They think soft power and sanctions will stop the Bear and Dragon.
No one at the Pentagon thought about this, even before the Ukraine war?
I’m sure that China can supply the shortage parts. (I worked at Raytheon for 35 years. They won’t order parts until they have a contract. And a design. They won’t have a design until they have a contract.)
We have hundreds of millions of gun owners.
No one is just walking right in, as you put it.
Not to worry there are plenty of ME and North African Muzzies that will return the Stingers we send to Ukraine back to America, ... and her Airports.
as an old S-4 guy from the 50’s, I recall being required to keep a minimum supply on hand for everything and that base number depended on usage and anticipated usage during worst case scenario. I guess all these modern whipper-snappers threw those safe and sane plans out the window.
As a former program manager on military projects, I can tell you that if Biden did the same with Raytheon that he'd be getting deliveries in months, not years. The contracts, both in the incredibly long process to get them approved and in the often ridiculous political requirements makes just the contract part of the process last at least a year. And, for most contracts one year is a short time. Believe me, if the government wanted the product in three months they'd get it.
> Ukraine and Taiwan are scooping them up ASAP. South Korea too. We won’t have any for ourselves.
Generally, I’d think it would be better for them to be using them before sending any of our troops into harms way.
The company has “a very limited stock of material for Stinger production,” Hayes said, as it’s currently building a missile for a
sole international customer.
/\
Please tell me that customer isn’t
Russia.
.( hunter TalyBiden deal ?)
“It Will Be Years Before Raytheon Can Build New Stinger Missiles...”
Aren’t they green enough?
This could all be a lie to deceive others, but I think the reality is that Stingers are not that important to us. The excuse is basically "another customer is in line in front of you". Well, if either Raytheon or the US government had any real concern, we would be bumped to the head of the line and that "sole international customer" would have to wait instead. That's not happening, which tells me that the Stingers don't matter that much to us.
Stinger is obsolete, but this story is a nice reminder that the idea of NATO military superiority is a myth because all that expensive weapon systems are useless for the protracted war of attrition.
Check that medal out. Kinda reminds you if Idi Amin, no?
We won’t be needing Stingers years from now, we’ll be North Mexico.
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