AMRAAM assembly in Japan The United States and Japan finally agreed to establish a facility in Japan for the assembly and testing of AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles and to increase production of SM-3 Block IIA interceptor missiles. At the same time, the Pentagon signed a 7-year contract with RTX up to $20.7 billion to increase the total production of AMRAAM to 1900+ units per year. What this means in terms of military logistics: - In the event of an escalation around Taiwan or the Korean peninsula, the supply of F-15, F-16 and F-35 aircraft from warehouses in the US will create a logistical impasse. A local assembly and service center in Japan solves this problem.
- Transferring final manufacturing operations (FACO) to key allies spreads the burden across production chains and reduces the vulnerability of US plants to capacity shortages. - Joint production of SM-3 Block IIA trans-atmospheric interceptors directly strengthens the Aegis missile defense shield around the Japanese archipelago and US core infrastructure in the region. Washington is systematically turning Japan from a simple buyer of American weapons into a full-fledged defense-industrial center in the Indo-Pacific region, and Japan, in turn, actively interacts with other countries in terms of exporting manufactured weapons, including Ukraine. Telegram bot technical support and questions: We are at Telegram.