NORAD awards new warning system contract | Defense Dollars

Welcome to Defense Dollars, your update on the defense and aerospace markets around the world and what's making the numbers move

Let's dive right in. First up, Europe is looking to pool more money into key defense projects

European Union member states have approved five major defense projects focused on areas including drones and counter-drone systems

air and missile defense, maritime and seabed security, space, and protecting the EU's eastern flank

The projects are now eligible for funding through the European Defense Industry Program, which has about $1.7 billion available

One of the biggest initiatives is a drone and counter-drone program that could see between $4 billion and $5.8 billion in investment by 2033

The air and missile defense project could involve as much as $94 billion in investment by 2040

while the eastern flank project could draw up to about $117 billion by 2036

The goal? To get European countries working together on large defense programs

while reducing overlap and closing capability gaps across the block. Meanwhile, a major defense contract is keeping a momentum at the center of operations

at one of the U.S. military's most important command centers. The U.S. Air Force awarded Amentum a $572.4 million contract

to support the Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado, a hub for the North American Aerospace Defense Command known as NORAD The work includes operating maintaining and sustaining systems used for tactical warning attack assessment and space command and control Amentum will also support legacy space systems

and related technology at Peterson Space Force Base. The contract is expected to run through

September 2033, with the government initially obligating about $15.6 million in fiscal 2026

And finally, the Pentagon is putting billions behind a major boost in air-to-air missile production

The Defense Department has awarded Raytheon a multi-year contract worth up to $20.7 billion

to build advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, or AMRAAMs. The Pentagon says the deal will nearly double AMRAAM production

as the U.S. works to rebuild weapons stockpiles and meet demand from the Air Force, Navy and international allies

The five-year contract also includes two option years and is part of the Pentagon's broader effort to expand weapons production

Raytheon had previously committed to raising annual AMRAAM output to at least 1,900 missiles under long-term production agreements with the Defense Department

The full $20.7 billion deal has not yet been funded by Congress, however

and the Pentagon has not specified how many missiles the contract will ultimately purchase

The award is the latest sign that the U.S. is looking to scale up munitions production

and build larger stockpiles for the military and its allies. And that wraps up your defense dollars for this week

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