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US deal aims to triple Patriot output and quadruple THAAD parts
The Pentagon says the framework agreement would let Patriot production triple and THAAD systems quadruple amid depleted air-defense stockpiles.
The United States has signed a more than US$3 billion framework deal with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to ramp up production of Patriot and THAAD interceptor missile parts, the Pentagon announced. The announcement comes as conflicts in Iran and Ukraine strain existing air-defense and precision-guided weapon inventories, Reuters reported.
Under the deal, the Pentagon said Patriot production capacity would triple and THAAD systems output would quadruple. Pentagon negotiators have pushed contractors to move faster, citing tentative production agreements reached earlier this year to increase missile output.
The development follows a separate last week announcement of a Lockheed contract worth up to US$58.6 billion to produce Patriot interceptor missiles. The Pentagon also pointed to recent concerns that US forces have fewer than 1,000 Patriot interceptors and fewer than 250 THAAD interceptors on hand, according to a recent estimate cited by the report.
Both missile systems have been heavily used in the Middle East, adding to the urgency of accelerating manufacturing, the report said. The framework agreement is intended to address the mismatch between high munition usage and current stockpile levels.