Raytheon tapped to enable Kuwaiti F/A-18s for AIM-9X, AIM-120 missiles

The Defense Department announced the $47.3 million contract on Tuesday.

The company's Intelligence, Information and Services section in Indianapolis, Ind., will procure 99 LAU-115 and 100 LAU-116 guided missile launchers for the Navy, and 62 LAU-115 and 68 LAU-116 guided missile launchers for the government of Kuwait.

The modifications will allow F/A-18 Hornet to carry and launch AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles, as well as AIM-120 missiles.

The missile variants, each an air-to-air missile designed to shoot down enemy planes and projectiles, are based on designs from the 1950s and 1960s, and each is regarded as reliable, standard equipment in air forces of the United States and its allies. The launchers currently in use allow only one model of the missiles to be carried.

Work will be performed in Raytheon's Indianapolis facility, with an expected July 2022 completion date.