The world is running out of Stinger missiles. Compounding the problem, all the people who know how to make them are retired.

The missile and its launchers are made by the U.S.-based defense contractor RTX. Stingers are lightweight, easy to shoot and have a kill rate around 90%. Its versatility means the Stinger can be launched from aircraft, ground-based vehicles, or in man portable air defense systems (MANPADS).

Stingers first went into production in 1978 and received a few updates since then. Last year, the Pentagon placed an order to buy around 1700 new Stinger missiles. It was the first order for new Stingers in almost 20 years.

So why is there suddenly an uptick in stinger demand? Ukraine, of course.

The United States sent Ukraine around 2,000 Stingers, so far, with plans to send more. Every Stinger sent comes from dwindling U.S. stockpiles.

From a tactical standpoint, Stingers are absolutely vital to any offensive Ukraine hopes to wage against Russia. They’re a low-tech counterpunch to Russia’s high-tech air superiority.

In an interview with Defense o­ne, Wes Kremer, the president of RTX’s Raytheon division, said the company is “pulling test equipment out of warehouses” and “blowing the spider webs off.”

He also said RTX is bringing some of its former employees, who are now in their 70s, out of retirement to teach new employees how to build the missiles.

“Stinger’s been out of production for 20 years, and all of a sudden in the first 48 hours [of the war], it’s the star of the show and everybody wants more.”

Wes Kremer, President of RTX’s Raytheon Division

It will be about two and half years before the first new Stingers start rolling off the production line. That’s how long it takes to get the factory set up again and new workers trained.

Also, because it’s been so long since Stingers were made, some of the components need to be redesigned. Not all the original parts are even available anymore. The production process can’t be sped up through 3D printing or automation either, because doing so would mean a total redesign of the weapon and a lengthy certification process.

Outside of Ukraine, it’s likely RTX will have more customers lining up to purchase new Stingers. They’re already deployed in almost 30 countries, and o­n semi-autonomous self-governing islands like Taiwan.

Since Stingers are effective against stopping everything from drones to jets, the missiles make for a vital tool in any air defense arsenal.

2.  Boeing Is Bringing Back Recently Retired Employees

More companies are seeing the value of keeping older workers

A worker helping to build an airplane

Boeing is bringing retired employees back into the workplace, seeing that older workers with specialized skills are valuable to the bottom line. 

DANIEL ACKER/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES

To help meet production goals o­n its 737 jetliners, Boeing is luring retired employees back to work at its plant outside Seattle.

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Paul Bergman, a Boeing spokesman, said the company plans to hire recently retired mechanics to help with “near-term airplane production requirements” at the plant in Renton, Wash. In August, the company reached an agreement with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers to bring back retirees for up to six months. Connie Kelliher, a spokeswoman for the UNI0N, said retirees will receive a $500 bonus for each month they work at the plant.

Jacquelyn James, director of the Sloan Research Network o­n Aging & Work, said the move by Boeing is an example of companies beginning to realize the value of keeping older workers with specialized skills o­n the job past traditional retirement age. “Employers are starting to get it, that older adults can be beneficial to the bottom line,” James said.

See All Benefits 

Peter Cappelli, a management professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, said it is smart for Boeing to focus o­n retirees when it needs to ramp up temporarily to meet demand. Unretired workers may not want to return to their old schedules, he said, but a temporary job with flexibility might be appealing. “Trying to find workers, especially o­n a temporary basis, who understand the operations and can make contributions immediately is otherwise just about impossible,” Cappelli said.