Japan To Assemble AMRAAM Missiles As U.S. Moves To Dramatically Boost AIM-120 Production

The United States and Japan agreed to establish a Japanese facility for the final assembly and inspection of AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles. The arrangement expands bilateral defense-production cooperation as demand for the missile rises among U.S. and allied forces. It also supports Japan’s effort to strengthen its domestic defense industrial base.

The facility will operate under Operation Supercharge, a broader initiative focused on defense equipment and technology cooperation. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced the agreement after meeting U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in the Philippines. The work will cover the final stages of missile production, rather than the entire weapon.

Important details are still missing. The two governments have not disclosed the facility’s location, construction timeline, expected production capacity, or Japanese industrial partner. Discussions began more than two years ago, and a feasibility study involved Mitsubishi Electric and Raytheon. Possible circuit card assembly work was also under discussion by April 2026.

The AIM-120 AMRAAM is a beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile. It is designed to engage aircraft at distances beyond direct visual observation. The weapon is carried by numerous combat aircraft, including the F-35 and F-15 variants operated in Japan by U.S. forces and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

AMRAAM also has a ground-defense role. It is used by NASAMS, the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, to engage aerial threats from the ground. The article identifies drones and cruise missiles among the threats confronted by Ukraine with NASAMS, while aircraft remain the missile’s primary air-to-air target.

Raytheon says AMRAAM is fielded by 44 countries and operates across 14 platforms. New production includes AIM-120D-3 variants with modernized processors and software-based electronic-warfare countermeasures. The missile can cost more than $1 million per unit, depending on its variant.

The clearest production target is at least 1,900 AMRAAM missiles each year. That figure covers the overall Raytheon production effort, not just the future Japanese facility. The article does not state how many additional missiles Japan will produce or how much total output will rise because of the new site.

The target comes from a framework agreement announced in February. A September contract awarded to RTX subsidiary Raytheon covers five years, with options for two more years, and is valued at up to $20.7 billion. It covers Lots 41 through 47, including advanced AIM-120D-3 missiles.

AMRAAM already has a broad international reach. Raytheon says 44 countries use it across 14 platforms. Those platforms include fighter aircraft such as the F-35 and ground-based systems such as NASAMS. Japan’s facility will contribute a share of the overall production target, but its capacity is not yet public.

The United States and its allies want more AMRAAMs because the missiles have been expended extensively while international demand has surged. The article contrasts today’s supply pressure with the situation a few years ago, when global AMRAAM stockpiles were considered plentiful. Expanding production is now a priority for replenishing inventories.

The missile has been used in the campaign against Houthi drones and in operations over Syria and Iraq during efforts to defend Israel against Iranian attacks. Ukraine has also used substantial numbers against Russian drones and cruise missiles. Its forces fire AMRAAMs through NASAMS and, more recently, from F-16 fighters.

Raytheon is responding with manufacturing equipment, more workers, and expanded supplier capacity. New U.S. solid-rocket-motor production lines are expected to come online in 2027. The multiyear contract also gives the company better visibility into demand, supporting investment in production and the missile’s component supply chain.

A Japanese final-assembly facility could make AMRAAM supplies more resilient by adding another production location. Japan’s defense minister said the arrangement would help ensure access to equipment needed by both countries. It would also strengthen Japan’s domestic defense industrial base as demand rises and existing suppliers work to expand output.

The facility would handle final assembly and inspection, adding a Japanese node to Raytheon’s wider production effort. The overall annual target is at least 1,900 missiles, but the Japanese site would account for only a share. Earlier feasibility work involved Mitsubishi Electric and Raytheon, and discussions later included possible circuit card assembly production.

The total effect remains uncertain. Officials have not announced the site’s capacity, timeline, location, or industrial partner. Therefore, the facility could broaden supply options and support Japan’s industry, but the article does not establish how many extra missiles it will create beyond the existing production target.

The article does not state that Japan is barred from manufacturing the entire weapon, nor does it give one explicit reason for beginning with final assembly and inspection. It only describes the scope of the agreement reached so far. That makes the Japanese role a defined production step rather than a fully domestic AMRAAM program.

The arrangement follows more than two years of discussions and a feasibility study supported by Mitsubishi Electric and Raytheon. By April 2026, those discussions had expanded to possible Japanese production of circuit card assemblies. This suggests cooperation may include more components over time, but the article does not confirm a broader manufacturing decision.

Several practical details remain unsettled. The facility’s location, construction schedule, capacity, and Japanese industrial partner have not been disclosed. The article also notes that AMRAAM is less technologically sensitive now that AIM-260 is being developed, but it does not directly identify that change as the reason for Japan’s limited initial role.

The article identifies AMRAAM as a beyond-visual-range missile but does not explain how it detects, guides, or intercepts targets. In general, beyond-visual-range engagements begin with radar or other sensors finding and tracking an aircraft or missile. The target’s position is then shared with the launching aircraft or ground-defense system.

The missile is launched using that targeting information and receives guidance during flight. An AMRAAM can use updates from the launching platform or a connected defense network before its onboard radar seeker takes over during the terminal phase. The seeker helps the missile track the target and steer toward an intercept.

NASAMS applies this process from the ground using networked sensors, command-and-control equipment, launchers, and interceptor missiles. Its purpose is to defend against aerial threats, including drones and cruise missiles. The article states that NASAMS has protected the U.S. Capital Region and more than a dozen countries, and has been extensively used in Ukraine.