Defense contractor Lockheed Martin on Thursday announced an agreement with the Department of War to quadruple the production of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors.
Production will increase from 96 to 400 interceptors per year, Lockheed Martin said, which comes after a prior agreement earlier this month to accelerate production of PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptors.
Under the seven-year agreement, Lockheed Martin will work with the U.S. government toward an initial contract award under the THAAD framework agreement, with funding expected in the final fiscal 2026 congressional appropriations and other sources.
Since President Donald Trump's first term, Lockheed Martin has invested more than $7 billion, including about $2 billion dedicated to accelerating munitions production.
Lockheed Martin said it has more than 340,000 square feet of dedicated operations space in the U.S. for THAAD, and more than 2,000 U.S. employees supporting the program.
Since 2016, Lockheed Martin has increased deliveries of six critical munitions by more than 220% and plans a 245% increase to support PAC-3 and THAAD production, a ramp-up the company said has driven manufacturing job growth of more than 60% since Trump’s first term, with another 50% increase projected by 2030 to sustain higher production rates.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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