WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin on Thursday broke ground on a new 87,000 square foot production facility in Alabama, an investment that lays the groundwork for the company to quadruple the rate of THAAD interceptor production.
The newly christened, and notably-named, “Building 47” in Troy, Ala., nearly doubles the current production space for THAAD interceptors, and will also house future work on the Next Generation Interceptor program, the company stated.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, Lockheed CEO Jim Taiclet said the new facility was an example of “[Lockheed’s] willingness to make formal major investments before we have a contract.”
The Trump administration has made boosting munitions stockpiles a critical priority following the war in Ukraine and ongoing conflict with Iran. Pentagon leaders hope to push defense contractors to invest company funds to stand up new production facilities or upgrade older ones by cementing multiyear production deals that would give companies more certainty that demand for weapons will be sustained years into the future.
So far, the department has signed multiyear framework agreements with Lockheed for THAAD interceptors and the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), and inked an $4.7 billion undefinitized contract for the Patriot missile defense system’s PAC-3 missiles. However, those deals — and others that include multiyear agreements for Tomahawk missiles and key components — will only be made final after Congress passes legislation approving that funding, expected as part of the fiscal 2027 budget process.
