U.S. Army Gives Defense Contractor Raytheon $1.2 Billion Contract to Build Air Defense Systems in Ukraine

Military defense contractor Raytheon is receiving a $1.2 billion payout to construct air defense systems in Ukraine, with the bill being footed by the U.S. taxpayer.

The U.S. Army is paying Raytheon to construct six National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) for Ukraine. The appropriations for these NASAMS comes out of the fifth giant welfare package sent to Ukraine that was approved by the U.S. Congress. It will likely take up to two years to deliver the systems, but Raytheon is convinced that NASAMS will arrive in Ukraine much more quickly.

“Just because it takes 24 months to build, it doesn’t mean it’s going to take 24 months to get in country,” Raytheon CEO Greg Hayes said.

Hayes floated the idea of NASAMS being diverted from Middle Eastern battlefields where they are used against Islamic extremist terrorists who hate America, potentially harming U.S. national security interests, in order to fuel the ongoing proxy war against Russia in Ukraine.