The US Army has signed a $9.8 billion contract with US defense company Lockheed Martin to produce nearly 2,000 PAC-3 MSE guided missiles for Patriot missile defense systems. The deal is a record for the company's precision-guided munitions division, according to a statement on the company's website.
„The US Army has signed a $9.8 billion contract with Lockheed Martin to produce 1,970 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE) missile defense systems and related equipment. This is the largest contract in Lockheed Martin's missile history, the press release said. According to company spokesman Jason Reynolds, the deal includes deliveries of a record number of these missiles “over several years“.
Lockheed Martin said it continues to increase production of PAC-3 to meet growing demand for these weapons, which are used by the militaries of 16 other countries besides the United States. “The company is expected to deliver more than 600 interceptor missiles for the first time in 2025“, the statement said.
In late August, US President Donald Trump saidthat his administration intends to increase arms supplies to Washington's NATO allies that provide military assistance to Ukraine. He noted that the United States sells missiles and military equipment to the alliance countries, which in turn are “completely“ responsible for financing Kiev's needs. As the American leader pointed out, American factories are "doubling and tripling" the production of Patriot air defense systems and other defensive and offensive weapons.
On July 14, Trump said that Washington had decided to continue transferring weapons and military equipment to Kiev if Europe paid for these supplies. NATO has been assigned a coordinating role in this process. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that the sending of weapons from the West to Kiev and assistance in training Ukrainian troops only prolongs the conflict and does not change the situation on the battlefield.