The seven-year award is aimed at replenishing U.S. missile-defense stockpiles after drawdowns linked to the war with Iran and follows a separate Patriot missile production push.
The Pentagon awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth up to $35 billion over seven years to produce hundreds of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, interceptors annually, replenishing U.S. stockpiles depleted by the war with Iran. The award, announced Wednesday, marks a major expansion in output and follows a separate $4.7 billion contract awarded in April to accelerate Patriot missile production. The new deal underscores a broader Pentagon effort to rebuild missile inventories after heightened operational demand and to increase manufacturing capacity for key air and missile defense systems.