The United States signed a $58.6 billion contract for the production of Patriot missiles
Kyiv • UNN
The U.S. Army has signed a contract with Lockheed Martin worth up to $58.6 billion for the production of Patriot interceptor missiles. The deal involves tripling production capacity by 2030.
The US Army has signed a contract with Lockheed Martin worth up to $58.6 billion for the production of Patriot interceptor missiles. Reuters reports, citing the Pentagon, writes UNN.
Details
The deal comes amid growing concerns about US missile stockpiles after their active use to support allies, as well as in US military operations in Iran and amid the war in Ukraine.
The new contract transforms the previous one-year deal worth $4.7 billion, signed in April, into a seven-year procurement program covering fiscal years 2026–2032.
The US is ramping up ammunition production
According to Reuters, the Pentagon is accelerating negotiations with defense companies to increase the production rates of missiles and precision-guided weapons. The administration of President Donald Trump is also urging contractors to direct more resources to production rather than to shareholder payouts.
Lockheed Martin stated that the new funding will allow tripling production capacity for PAC-3 MSE interceptor missiles by the end of 2030 and increase the number of employees at the Camden plant (Arkansas) by approximately 50% — from 1,200 to 1,850 people. Earlier, the company reported plans to increase annual production of Patriot PAC-3 missiles to 2,000 units.
Reuters also notes that the Pentagon has signed a similar framework agreement with RTX (Raytheon) to significantly increase production of Tomahawk cruise missiles.