Lockheed Martin plans to dramatically ramp up production of Patriot missile interceptors, aiming to more than triple its annual output to 2,000, the defense contractor said on Tuesday.
Lockheed said that it had reached an agreement with the US Department of Defense to “rapidly accelerate” the production and delivery of its PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptors over a seven-year period.
The new agreement will increase the annual production capacity of PAC-3, or Patriot Advanced Capability, interceptors from roughly 600 to 2,000. These will then be delivered to US, allied, and partner forces.
Global demand for capable air defenses and interceptors has surged in recent years in response to the large missile attacks seen in Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine and in Middle East conflicts. The American-made MIM-104 Patriot air defense system has been at the center of both.
The surface-to-air missile system has served as the backbone of Ukraine’s defense against Russian missile strikes, functioning as the top layer of an air defense network largely supported by Western-made technology. And the US military has relied on the Patriot to intercept Iranian attacks.
The high expenditure rate for Patriot interceptors over the last few years has raised concerns about future stockpiles for US and allied arsenals.
Jim Taiclet, Lockheed’s chairman and CEO, said in a statement that the defense prime “will create unprecedented capacity for PAC-3 MSE production, delivering at the speed our nation and allies demand.”
Lockheed said that it had boosted PAC-3 MSE production by more than 60% over the past two years and delivered 620 missile interceptors in 2025, a 20% increase from 2024.
The contractor supplies 17 countries with its PAC-3 interceptors. It considers the MSE variant a “cornerstone” of US and European missile defense.
The Pentagon said that the agreement announced on Tuesday is a result of its new Acquisition Transformation Strategy, which Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth revealed in November and calls for increased production capacity for key weapons and munitions, among other priorities.
Hegseth said at the time that the Pentagon would award companies bigger and longer contracts for “proven systems” so that they could invest more in the defense industrial base.
The framework agreement announced on Tuesday “establishes the basis for negotiating a seven-year supply contract” that will still need Congressional approval, the Pentagon said.
“This framework agreement marks a fundamental shift in how we rapidly expand munitions production and magazine depth, and how we collaborate with our industry partners,” said Michael Duffey, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, in a statement.
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