‘Wartime footing’: US Pentagon reaches deals with defence firms to expand munitions production
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Two US Patriot missile defence batteries deployed in Israel.
PHOTO: AFP
- Pentagon agrees with BAE, Lockheed, Honeywell to boost munitions production, aiming to put the US military on a “wartime footing” after escalation with Iran.
- Agreements involve Honeywell increasing production of critical components; BAE and Lockheed will quadruple THAAD interceptor seekers and accelerate Precision Strike Missile output.
- Trump administration pressures defence firms to prioritise production over shareholder returns, following stockpile depletion due to conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
AI generated
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon said on March 25 it had reached framework agreements with BAE Systems, Lockheed and Honeywell to boost production of defence systems munitions as part of a push to put the US military on a “wartime footing”.
The announcements come more than three weeks after US President Donald Trump and Israel launched a war on Iran.
They also follow Mr Trump’s meeting earlier this month with executives from seven defence contractors as the Pentagon sought to replenish weapons stocks depleted by US strikes on Iran and other recent military operations.
The Pentagon also plans to send thousands of airborne troops to the Gulf to give Mr Trump more options to order a ground assault, Reuters reported on March 24.
Under the agreements, Honeywell Aerospace will “surge production of critical components for America’s munitions stockpile,” as part of a US$500 million (S$640 million) multi-year investment, the Pentagon said.
BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin will also quadruple production of seekers for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) interceptor, while a new framework agreement with Lockheed will accelerate production of its Precision Strike Missile, the Pentagon added.
Honeywell said the agreement would support increased output of navigation systems, missile steering actuators and electronic warfare products used across US military platforms.
Honeywell Aerospace chief executive officer Jim Currier said the company was ready to help meet the urgent demand.
Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet also said the company was “working closely with the Department of War and the US Army to scale production to meet operational demand.”
Mr Trump in January signed an executive order directing officials to identify contractors deemed to be underperforming on government contracts while continuing to return profits to shareholders. His administration has also stepped up pressure on defence companies to prioritise production over shareholder payouts.
“We discussed production and production schedules,” Mr Trump said of the earlier meeting, which included executives from Lockheed Martin, RTX, BAE Systems, Boeing, Honeywell Aerospace, L3Harris Technologies and Northrop Grumman .
The US has drawn down billions of dollars worth of weapons from its stockpiles since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and during Israel’s military operations in Gaza, including artillery systems, ammunition and anti-tank missiles. REUTERS
