Lockheed Martin gets first batch of Patriot interceptor parts from General Motors

Lockheed Martin said on Thursday it received its first shipment of critical components from General Motors for Patriot interceptors , less than a month after the two companies inked a manufacturing agreement, as the Pentagon pushes for faster weapons production .

The ⁠Patriot missile defense system remains one of the world’s most sought-after weapons for the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and Russia’s prolonged war with Ukraine.

Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv credits Patriot batteries with helping defend cities against Russian ballistic missile attacks, while Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has repeatedly appealed for ⁠more ​launchers and interceptors as Moscow intensifies air strikes.

GM Defense delivered the initial batch of housing components for the Patriot interceptors called the PAC-3 MSE — on Aug. 28, just 22 days after the Aug. 6 contract signing, Lockheed said, for parts that traditionally take months or years to produce.

The deal builds on a broader collaboration the two companies announced in June, when they said they were partnering to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base amid surging demand for munitions, tapping GM Defense’s manufacturing plants and laboratories to boost production capacity and supply chain resilience.

“This extraordinary 22-day turnaround underscores Lockheed Martin’s relentless focus on execution — delivering for our troops faster, with greater capacity,” said Tim Cahill, president of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.

GM Defense President and CEO Stephen duMont said the automaker’s precision-fabrication expertise would support “production of this country’s critical defense capabilities.”

Lockheed is investing $8 billion to $9 billion to scale munitions output, including PAC-3 MSE, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), adding new buildings and jobs at more than 20 U.S. sites. The company said production and warehousing space would grow nearly 50% following planned expansions.

洛克希德·马丁公司周四表示，该公司已收到通用汽车公司为“爱国者”拦截器提供的首批关键部件。此前不到一个月，两家公司签署了制造协议，五角大楼正在推动加快武器生产。

“爱国者”导弹防御系统仍然是美国和以色列与伊朗的战争以及俄罗斯与乌克兰的长期战争中，世界上最受追捧的武器之一。

自俄罗斯 2022 年入侵乌克兰以来，基辅方面认为爱国者导弹系统帮助保卫了城市免受俄罗斯弹道导弹袭击，而随着莫斯科加强空袭，乌克兰总统泽连斯基一再呼吁提供更多发射器和拦截器。

洛克希德公司表示，通用汽车防务公司于 8 月 28 日交付了首批爱国者拦截器外壳组件 PAC-3 MSE，距离 8 月 6 日的合同签署仅 22 天，而这些部件通常需要数月甚至数年才能生产出来。

该协议建立在两家公司 6 月份宣布的更广泛合作之上。当时，他们表示，为了应对军火需求激增，他们将合作加强美国国防工业基础，利用通用汽车防务公司的制造工厂和实验室来提高产能和供应链的韧性。

洛克希德·马丁导弹与火控公司总裁蒂姆·卡希尔表示：“这一非凡的 22 天周转时间凸显了洛克希德·马丁公司对执行力的不懈追求——以更快的速度、更大的能力为我们的部队提供服务。”

通用汽车防务总裁兼首席执行官斯蒂芬·杜蒙特表示，这家汽车制造商的精密制造技术将支持“该国关键国防能力的生产”。

洛克希德·马丁公司正投资80亿至90亿美元，扩大包括PAC-3 MSE、末段高空区域防御系统（THAAD）和精确打击导弹（PrSM）在内的弹药生产规模，并在美国20多个地点新建厂房和创造就业岗位。该公司表示，计划扩建完成后，生产和仓储空间将增长近50%。