US Pentagon, Lockheed strike deal to triple Patriot air defence missile output
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A 2024 photo shows Ukrainian servicemen walking past a Patriot air defence system at an undisclosed area of Ukraine.
PHOTO: AFP
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- Pentagon signed a seven-year contract with Lockheed Martin to triple Patriot missile production.
- The goal is to increase production of PAC-3 MSE missiles from 600 to 2,000 annually.
- This deal aims to address munitions shortages and support Ukraine's defence against Russian attacks.
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WASHINGTON – The Pentagon has struck a seven-year contract with Lockheed Martin to triple production of Patriot missiles, a deal that comes as the Trump administration tries to speed up military procurement after a series of munitions shortages and production delays.
The agreement announced on Jan 6 is designed to give Lockheed long-term demand certainty to ramp up production of the most advanced variant – the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement, or PAC-3 MSE – from roughly 600 missiles a year to around 2,000, according to a Pentagon statement.
“This framework marks a fundamental shift in how we rapidly expand munitions production,” Mr Michael Duffey, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment, said in a statement.
The popular Patriot air defence platform is deployed by the US and 17 other nations, and has been heavily used by Ukraine against Russian attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly asked President Donald Trump for more Patriot batteries and missiles, or interceptors, from the US and European allies to defend its urban areas against Russian attacks.
The statement did not say how much the expansion was worth, but Lockheed received a US$9.8 billion (S$12.5 billion) contract in September to produce nearly 2,000 of the interceptors covering fiscal years 2024 through 2026.
The company had stated last summer that it planned to deliver 650 missiles a year by 2027 and was looking at ways to increase production. BLOOMBERG
