R2S, a joint venture between Raytheon and Israeli-based Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, opened a new manufacturing facility in East Camden, Arkansas. The site will support the Israel Missile Defense Organization's (IMDO), operating within the Israeli MOD's Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D), initiative to accelerate serial production of Iron Dome interceptors.
READ MORE: Raytheon-Rafael Receives $1.25B Tamir Production Contract For Facility in Arkansas
The $63 million facility will produce Tamir missiles for Israel's Iron Dome Weapon System and SkyHunter missiles for the U.S. Marine Corps. R2S expects the project to create up to 60 jobs.
Shortly after the factory's opening, R2S received a $1.25 billion direct commercial sales contract to supply Israel with Tamir missiles, missile kits and test equipment.
"We aren’t apologetic about serving as the arsenal of democracy for America and our allies,” Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. “I had the chance to deepen our state’s relationship with R2S at the Paris Air Show in 2023, this site’s groundbreaking in 2024 and later in Israel this past summer, and I’m proud of the partnership the community of Camden and the state of Arkansas have built with this great company."
Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the R2S joint venture announced the project in 2023 as a $33 million investment and broke ground on the site in 2024.
R2S will hire a range of positions at the East Camden facility, including production support and quality assurance engineers, a production cost control account manager and a production assembly technician
