Seniors Guide New Missile Production For Ukraine
Raytheon is pulling long-retired production workers out of their easy chairs and fishing boats to teach the current generation of factory employees how to make Stinger shoulder-launched missiles. Stingers have…
Private R, the missile operator of a Kyiv-area air defense unit, demonstrates the use of dual-mounted stinger missiles during an interview with media at an unused position about 25 miles from Kyiv on February 21, 2023 in Ukraine.
Raytheon is pulling long-retired production workers out of their easy chairs and fishing boats to teach the current generation of factory employees how to make Stinger shoulder-launched missiles. Stingers have been out of production for 20 years and the stockpiles in the U.S. and other allies have been depleted by donations to Ukraine. They're still in demand so Raytheon is literally dusting off equipment to get them rolling off the line again. "We're pulling test equipment out of warehouses and blowing the spider webs off them," Wes Kremer, CEO of RDX, Raytheon's parent company, told DefenseOne.
The defense department and contractors are working on an up-to-date replacement for the Stinger, but it's not ready yet so the Stinger remains the portable missile system of choice for Ukrainian forces. The U.S. alone has shipped 1,700 to the country since it was invaded by Russia in 2022 and it's running out. Since almost no one in the company had ever worked on a Stinger, the company got on the phone and started tracking down ex-employees who could help bring the current staff up to speed on tech that was developed before some of them were born. "We were bringing back retired employees who are in their 70s ... to show our new employees how to actually build a Stinger," Kremer said.
