RTX’s Raytheon unit won a U.S. Navy contract worth up to $24.4 billion to produce Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) interceptors under a five-year agreement with two additional option years. The deal is intended to provide a steady supply of the missile, which supports both offensive strikes and missile defense missions, as the Pentagon seeks to replenish stockpiles depleted by conflicts in the Middle East. The award follows a provisional $20.7 billion multiyear deal for Raytheon’s AMRAAM missiles in late September and a $58.6 billion Patriot interceptor contract awarded to Lockheed Martin in July. Raytheon has said it is expanding its workforce, facilities, industrial partnerships and automation to increase production. The company describes SM-6 as a combat-proven weapon for anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare and ballistic missile defense, launched from U.S. Navy ships and land-based platforms.