Air-to-air Stinger missiles will add firepower to India's new combat helicopters

The Indian Ministry of Defence has signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to acquire Stinger air-to-air missiles made by Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN). As part of the deal, India will receive 245 Stinger air-to-air missiles, as along with launchers and engineering support.

"India joins nations around the globe who recognize that air-to-air Stinger can be a key component of attack and light attack helicopter mission configurations," said Duane Gooden, Raytheon Land Warfare Systems vice president. "Stinger significantly improves the ability of the aircraft to successfully perform today's missions while countering existing threats."

Combat-proven in four major conflicts, Stinger has more than 270 fixed- and rotary-wing intercepts to its credit. It is deployed in 19 nations and with all four U.S. military services.

India's Stinger acquisition is part of a $3.1 billion deal with the U.S. that includes combat helicopters, weapons, radars and electronic warfare suites.

About Stinger

The combination of supersonic speed, agility, highly accurate guidance and control system and lethal warhead gives Stinger the operational edge against all classes of helicopters, UAVs, cruise missiles, and fixed-wing aircraft. Stinger not only has a surface-to-air capability from land and sea, but also an air-to-air capability that can be integrated into most fixed- or rotary-wing platforms.

About Raytheon

Raytheon Company, with 2015 sales of $23 billion and 61,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 94 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I™ products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. Visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter

Source: TUCSON, Ariz., March 30, 2016 /PRNewswire - Raytheon

Photo: A U.S. Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter prepares to depart Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, on Jan 7, 2012. The Apache conducts distributed operations, precision strikes against relocatable targets, and provides armed reconnaissance when required in day, night, obscured battlefield and adverse weather conditions.

(3.04.2016)