By the numbers: how recent deals will boost missile production
U.S. missile production has accelerated sharply this year, with major defense contractors expanding output across several high-demand systems.
On January 8, Lockheed Martin announced a seven-year agreement to increase annual production of the PAC-3 MSE interceptor from 600 to 2,000 missiles.
In early February, RTX secured five Pentagon deals covering several missiles. Annual production of Tomahawk cruise missiles is expected to top 1,000 missiles, AMRAAM output will reach at least 1,900, and SM-6 production will exceed 500. Meanwhile, SM-3 interceptors are set to be manufactured at up to four times the current rate.
The missiles are deemed important to U.S. and allied deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. The Tomahawk cruise missile allows U.S. Navy ships and submarines to strike targets more than a thousand miles away. The AIM-120 AMRAAM is used by U.S. and allied fighter aircraft and in NASAMS ground-based air defense systems. Aegis-equipped vessels use the SM-3 interceptor, including the SM-3 IB and the more advanced SM-3 IIA, to counter short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles. The SM-6 adds air defense, anti-surface warfare, and terminal ballistic missile defense.
Japan operates several Aegis-equipped destroyers and hosts U.S. vessels carrying SM-3s. U.S. PAC-3 batteries in Okinawa also provide a short-range defensive layer, reinforcing protection of critical infrastructure and population centers.
South Korea has also been buying SM-3s.