The U.S. Department of Defense signed seven-year agreements with General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin to expand production capacity for Patriot and THAAD missile interceptors.
The agreements aim to triple production of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 MSE interceptors and quadruple production of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.
Focus will be placed on components
Michael Duffey, the Pentagon’s under secretary for acquisition and sustainment, said the companies had responded to the call. Duffey said bureaucratic procedures would be reduced, delivery times shortened and production capacity in the United States rapidly expanded.
The plan’s priorities include critical components such as motor cases, seeker-head housings, midsections and warhead deployment systems. The work aims to increase production volumes and accelerate delivery schedules.
Congress’s annual decisions will be decisive
Duffey described the agreement as part of the effort to expand U.S. defense production capacity and preserve the technological superiority of American forces.
The funding required for the agreements will depend on Congress’s annual appropriations.
Assessments of missile stocks
The production targets were announced as reports and assessments of the condition of certain U.S. munitions stocks remained in focus. Internal assessments put interceptor stocks in Europe below critical levels following a regional war in which hundreds of missiles were used.
The White House and the Pentagon rejected claims that the United States was experiencing a serious munitions shortage. Military analysts, however, voiced concerns about pressure on long-range munitions.
