Stinger missile manufacturer called in retired engineers to resume production
The Raytheon Technologies company, which is a manufacturer of the Stinger portable anti-aircraft missile systems, invited retired engineers to teach its employees how to produce Stinger missiles.
Source: European Pravda, referring to the Defense One media outlet
Details: Wes Kremer, President of Raytheon, stated that with this goal, the company hired back retired specialists over 70 years old.
The US has sent almost 2,000 missiles for these anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine, but they all came from US military stockpiles. This is yet another example of how a privately owned company is working towards increasing the production of highly needed weaponry, which the Pentagon has not bought for decades. Due to this, the company faced a lack of knowledge for an effective resumption of production.
"We're pulling test equipment out of warehouses and blowing the spider webs off of them," Kramer admitted.
The electronics used in a Stinger missile are already outdated, so the company is recycling printed circuit boards and some components.
Herewith, 3D printing and automation as a way to accelerate the manufacturing process are not possible in the case of the Stinger MANPADS, as this does not only require re-engineering the weapon but also undergoing a durable certification process.
Background:
- Earlier, it was reported that the Raytheon Technologies company, which is a manufacturer of the Patriot air defence systems, is planning to significantly increase the production volume.
- Latvia has decided to supply Ukraine with all the Stinger MANPADS it has.
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