The U.S. Department of Defense, in partnership with defense contractors BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin, will quadruple the production of seekers for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor.
Under the terms of the agreement, BAE Systems will guarantee the component is delivered at speed and scale. The department also recently signed a similar agreement with Lockheed Martin to quadruple THAAD interceptor production.
“Securing our supply chain is just as critical as our partnership with the prime contractors,” Michael Duffey, under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said. “This agreement with BAE Systems sends a clear, stable, long-term demand signal. We are providing the certainty our partners need to invest, expand, and hire. This is how we place the industrial base on a wartime footing.”
The THAAD system is a key component of U.S. ballistic missile defense. The system uses interceptor missiles to destroy threat missiles and is capable of engaging targets at ranges of 93–124 miles and can be rapidly deployed.
The U.S. Army began developing THAAD in 1992 with the Missile Defense Agency responsible for its development. Lockheed Martin developed the THAAD system and manufactures it in Alabama.
The agreement is part of the department’s Acquisition Transformation Strategy.