Raytheon (RTX) has been awarded a $698.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for the production of NASAMS fire units destined for Taiwan, the U.S. Department of Defense announced on 17 November 2025. Issued by the U.S. Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, the contract highlights Washington’s long-term commitment to strengthening Taiwan’s air and missile defense architecture amid increasing Chinese military pressure.
Production will take place at RTX facilities in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, with completion scheduled for 28 February 2031, underscoring a multi-year industrial effort tied to a broader Foreign Military Sales program.
NASAMS—developed jointly by Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and RTX—is a short- to medium-range, network-enabled air defense system employing the AIM-120 AMRAAM interceptor. With its distributed launcher and radar layout, the system can counter aircraft, cruise missiles, UAVs and saturation attacks across extended operational zones. Advanced missile options such as the AMRAAM-ER provide engagement ranges beyond 50 km, giving Taiwan a flexible layer between Patriot batteries and short-range defenses.
Used by the United States, Finland, Australia, Qatar, Spain, Hungary and Ukraine, NASAMS has gained a strong operational reputation, particularly in countering cruise missile threats. For Taiwan, integrating NASAMS with existing Patriot and Sky Bow systems will create a fully layered, resilient air defense network capable of absorbing high-volume missile and drone attacks in the early stages of a conflict.
The award represents a major portion of the $1.16 billion FMS package approved in 2024, with remaining funds expected to support missile procurement, training, and integration activities. RTX’s new workload reinforces both the U.S. defense industrial base and Taiwan’s alignment with a global community of NASAMS operators, sending a clear strategic message to potential adversaries: Taiwan’s airspace is rapidly becoming more defended, interconnected, and difficult to penetrate.
