Demand for Raytheon Stinger missiles is skyrocketing, and the company is forced to hire ex-engineers to assist with creation. The rehired engineers will help train young workers and keep production on plans more than 40 years old. The missile request arose after a large number of American shares were transferred to the Ukrainian army.

FIM-92 “Stinger” is a US-made anti-aircraft missile system designed for portable use and using infrared guidance technology. It has versatility as it can be used from various ground vehicles or helicopters. Since its creation in 1981, the Stinger has been used by the armed forces of the United States and 29 other countries around the world.

During the full-scale war, Ukraine used more than 2,000 US-supplied heat-seeking missiles to successfully shoot down Russian aircraft. These missiles were obtained from US military reserves. In addition, the Biden administration announced that it plans to send even more Stingers to Ukraine in the near future.

“We had to bring back retired employees in their 70s to teach our new employees how to make Stinger,” Kremer said. “We take the equipment out of storage and blast the cobwebs inside,” he added.

According to RTX CEO Greg Hayes, the rocket’s electronics are outdated. “We’re redesigning the circuit boards and redesigning some of the components,” he said. “It just takes a long time.”

Engineers often cite 3D printing and automation to speed up production, but these methods don’t apply to Stinger. This is because applying such methods will require a complete redesign of the weapon and a lengthy certification process. This suggests they need to design the weapon the same way they did four decades ago, which includes manually installing the missile’s nose fairing. Source