Boeing nabs potential $14.7 billion PAC-3 seeker contract

A PAC-3 MSE launches July 1, 2024. (Photo courtesy of US Army).

WASHINGTON — Aerospace giant Boeing has been awarded an undefinitized contract worth up to $14.7 billion to boost production of seekers for the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptor, a key system used by Western allies for air defense, the company said today.

In a press release , Boeing revealed the contract was issued as a seven-year deal by Lockheed Martin, which manufactures the PAC-3. The PAC-3 MSE is a hit-to-kill interceptor launched by the Patriot air defense system to bat down threats like missiles and aircraft.

“Early investment and a relentless focus on quality and execution have positioned us to now deliver seekers at unprecedented levels in the near-term, and we’re committed to building on that momentum,” Steve Parker, the president and CEO of Boeing’s defense unit, said in the release.

A seeker is mounted in a missile’s nose and helps guide it to its target. The seeker award comes as the US rushes to replenish stockpiles of interceptors like the PAC-3 MSE drained by conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

The multibillion-dollar award follows a seven-year framework agreement that Boeing reached with the Pentagon in April to triple production of the seeker, though the company has not disclosed specific quantities. The contract announced today essentially underwrites that framework.

A nearly $59 billion contract vehicle for PAC-3 MSE production itself was issued to Lockheed in July, following a framework agreement to raise the missile’s output to 2,000 units annually by 2030. And like the Lockheed award, the seeker contract announced today is an undefinitized contract action, or UCA. A UCA can kickstart work as final dollar amounts and quantities are ironed out, and permits early work even when there are roadblocks for appropriations — notable, since a fiscal 2027 budget still has not been approved by lawmakers, and a separate reconciliation package looks in doubt .

In its release, Boeing notes that the company began ramping up production and surging hiring earlier this year at its facilities in Huntsville, Ala., to support increased production. Historically, the missile’s seeker has reportedly been a choke point for PAC-3 output.

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Seekers are also a pricey component of a missile, and in August Boeing revealed that it is developing a low-cost alternative amid soaring calls by militaries for cheaper interceptor options. Boeing says future flight tests are planned but has not disclosed when the new seeker, called the Ultra Low-Cost Seeker, could enter service.

PAC-3 MSE 于 2024 年 7 月 1 日发射。（照片由美国陆军提供）

华盛顿——航空航天巨头波音公司今天表示，该公司已获得一份价值高达 147 亿美元的未定合同，用于提高 PAC-3 导弹段增强型 (MSE) 拦截器的导引头产量。PAC-3 导弹段增强型 (MSE) 拦截器是西方盟国用于防空的关键系统。

波音公司在一份新闻稿中透露，该合同是由PAC-3导弹的制造商洛克希德·马丁公司签订的，为期七年。PAC-3 MSE是一种由“爱国者”防空系统发射的直接撞击拦截导弹，用于击落导弹和飞机等威胁。

波音公司防务部门总裁兼首席执行官史蒂夫·帕克在新闻稿中表示：“早期投资以及对质量和执行的不懈关注，使我们能够在短期内以前所未有的水平交付导引头，我们致力于在此基础上继续发展。”

导弹头部装有导引头，用于引导导弹击中目标。此次导引头获奖正值美国加紧补充PAC-3 MSE等拦截导弹库存之际，这些导弹因乌克兰和中东冲突而损耗严重。

这份价值数十亿美元的合同是波音公司今年4月与五角大楼达成的一项为期七年的框架协议的一部分，该协议旨在将导弹的产量提高三倍，但波音公司并未透露具体数量。今天宣布的这份合同实际上是对该框架协议的落实。

今年7月，洛克希德·马丁公司获得了一份价值近590亿美元的PAC-3 MSE导弹生产合同。此前，双方已达成框架协议，计划到2030年将该导弹的年产量提高到2000枚。与洛克希德·马丁公司的合同类似，今天宣布的导引头合同也是一份未定合同行动（UCA）。UCA可以在最终金额和数量确定之前启动项目，即使拨款受阻也能提前开展工作——值得注意的是，2027财年预算尚未获得立法机构批准，而另一项预算协调方案的通过也存在疑问。

波音公司在新闻稿中指出，为了支持产能增长，该公司今年早些时候已开始在其位于阿拉巴马州亨茨维尔的工厂提高产量并大幅增加招聘。据报道，导弹导引头一直是PAC-3导弹产能的瓶颈。

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导弹导引头也是导弹上成本较高的部件之一。今年8月，波音公司透露，在各国军方呼吁研发更经济的拦截导弹方案之际，该公司正在开发一种低成本的替代方案。波音公司表示，未来计划进行飞行测试，但尚未透露这款名为“超低成本导引头”的新型导引头何时能够投入使用。