Raytheon-Rafael Joint Venture to Supply Israel With Tamir Missiles Under $1.25B Deal
Raytheon and Rafael joint venture R2S has secured a $1.25-billion contract to supply Israel with Tamir surface-to-air missiles, including missile kits and test equipment.
The contract coincides with the opening of a $33-million production facility in East Camden, Arkansas, established to support the Israel Missile Defense Organization’s push to accelerate Iron Dome interceptor production.
The site will manufacture Tamir warheads for Israel’s Iron Dome air and missile defense system, which has been operational since 2011 and uses radar-guided interceptors to shoot down rockets, artillery, and short-range missiles with a reported success rate above 95 percent.
In the future, it will also assemble the SkyHunter variant for the US Marine Corps, designed to counter short- and medium-range threats, including aircraft and cruise missiles.
“This is the first production contract for the R2S joint venture and a major milestone for both Raytheon and Rafael,” R2S CEO Jonathan Casey stated.
“The new Camden site is the first all-up-round production facility in the US to manufacture Tamir and SkyHunter missiles.”
Local Impact
The R2S factory in Camden is integrated with Raytheon’s existing production capacity in Highland Industrial Park.
During the construction announcement last year, Raytheon said that the site is expected to support up to 60 jobs once active.
Expansion in Rocket Motors
In early November, the company announced a separate $400-million investment in a solid rocket motor production center in Camden.
The campus will encompass 110 acres (40 hectares) to host over 20 buildings and is set to increase the manufacturing capacity for large solid rocket motors by more than six times its current output, according to Reuters.
Articles expected from the new hub are medium and large rocket motors for missiles, interceptors, and hypersonic weapons, which serve as critical components for air and missile defense systems in America and partner nations.
