Lockheed Martin is stepping up its munitions push with a new supplier conference series and a fresh commitment to invest as much as $9 billion in production and industrial capacity through 2030, underscoring how urgently the defence sector is trying to lift output for high-demand missile systems.
More than 150 suppliers attended the first Munitions Acceleration Supplier Conference in Dallas this week, where Lockheed Martin executives and officials from the U.S. Department of Wa...
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r discussed how to speed manufacturing and expand scale. The company said the meetings will become a monthly forum, alternating between in-person and virtual sessions, as it tries to tighten coordination across its supply chain.
The initiative is aimed at programmes that have become central to U.S. and allied air and missile defence, including the PAC-3 MSE interceptor, THAAD and the Precision Strike Missile, or PrSM. Lockheed Martin said the objective is not simply to raise output, but to do so in a way that is sustainable, with a wider base of suppliers and fewer choke points in critical components.
That industrial strategy is being backed by substantial capital spending. Lockheed Martin said it plans to invest between $8 billion and $9 billion by the end of the decade, money that is already being used to expand munitions production, modernise or build more than 20 facilities across the United States and harden the company’s supply chain against disruption.
A key focus is second-sourcing. Lockheed Martin said it wants additional suppliers for parts and materials that have historically been vulnerable to bottlenecks, a concern that has gained new urgency as governments press defence contractors to move faster on missiles, rocket motors and precision weapons.
The company’s push comes as demand rises sharply for advanced munitions, driven by heightened security tensions and the pressure on U.S. stockpiles from support for allies. Senior Pentagon officials have repeatedly warned that existing production rates may not be enough for a prolonged high-intensity conflict, while Congress has approved extra funding to help expand the industrial base.
The PrSM programme has become one of the clearest examples of that acceleration effort. Lockheed Martin said this month that it had signed a framework agreement with the Department of War to quadruple production of the missile, following a $4.94 billion U.S. Army contract. The Army granted Milestone C approval for PrSM in July 2025, opening the way to full-rate production and deployment.
PAC-3 MSE is also moving onto a faster production track. Lockheed Martin said in April that it had secured a $4.7 billion contract to continue accelerating output of the interceptor, which the company describes as a core component of air defence for U.S. and allied forces.
The latest supplier initiative suggests Lockheed Martin is trying to make that expansion structural rather than temporary. The company said it has already spent more than $7 billion since 2016 to grow capacity for priority systems, with about $2 billion directed specifically to munitions production. The new conference series, it said, is intended to turn that investment into a more resilient and distributed manufacturing network.
Source: Noah Wire Services
