As spades went into the ground to signal the start of construction of the new Building 47 at Lockheed Martin’s Munitions Production Center in Troy, Alabama, company leaders framed the moment as a turning point in a nationwide push to accelerate missile production.
Building 47 in Troy, Alabama: THAAD capacity and workforce expansion
The new facility in Troy is intended to underpin a dramatic increase in Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor output as part of Lockheed Martin’s broader $8–9 billion commitment to expand munitions production across the United States. The company plans to “effectively double the factory footprint in Troy and dramatically increase the workforce,” Jason Reynolds, vice president and general manager for integrated air and missile defense, told reporters at the groundbreaking.
Dan Nimblett, Lockheed Martin’s vice president for Munitions Acceleration Integration, described the objective bluntly: “My job is to interface and collaborate with the Department of War in achieving the call to action to produce these critical munitions, not only at speed but also at scale, multiplying the current production rates by two, three, or even four times the current rates,” he told TWZ on the ground in Troy.
Lockheed Martin said it has already invested more than $2 billion in production facilities, tooling, suppliers, and workforce development to support the acceleration effort.
Camden, Arkansas: PAC-3 MSE, PrSM, and training
The Camden plant is another linchpin in the ramp. Camden already produces the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptor and is accelerating work on the long-range Precision Strike Missile (PrSM). Lockheed Martin said the company initially tripled PAC‑3 MSE capacity and is working to triple it again, while PrSM production is “also set to quadruple production over the next few years.”
Lockheed Martin currently employs around 1,100 workers at Camden, and the company emphasized the Camden training center’s role in supplying skilled operators as production ramps. Reynolds said the company will draw in “college students, high school students, veterans, everybody’s welcome,” offering training and career opportunities aligned with sustained production demand.
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See what we buildAutomation, robotics, and PrSM’s production model
Automation is central to the acceleration plan. PrSM manufacturing entered production “with a high level of automation,” the company said, noting that PrSM “was engineered from the start for automated, robot-driven production.” Gaylia Campbell, vice president, Tactical Missiles, described how robotics already perform safety‑critical assembly tasks—such as placing and testing explosive charges—and automate painting and coating processes.
Campbell added that early design, test, and production pacing shortened development timelines: PrSM “got PrSM through preliminary and critical design reviews, and into first flight in times roughly half of what it would normally have taken us.” The company also highlighted shop retooling and line redesigns elsewhere—Orlando’s merged paint bays and Ocala’s Progressive Work Smart Assembly Line, which reportedly cut seeker and mission control unit build times by roughly 50 percent—as contributors to faster throughput.
Long-term procurement, supply-chain moves, and international partnerships
Lockheed Martin framed its capacity moves around long-term agreements with the Department of War. The company said it was the first U.S. defense firm to announce a framework agreement with the Department of War for munitions acceleration—initially tripling PAC‑3 MSE capacity, followed by a second agreement to quadruple THAAD production capacity. Company leaders said those multi-year commitments let them invest confidently in facilities, tooling, and supplier capacity.
Campbell emphasized the procurement effect on suppliers: having a five‑year contract rather than annual buys gives manufacturers “far more buying power to secure sub-components” and “order bigger quantities of things up front,” reducing the risk of line stoppages. She also noted active work on solid rocket motor development and on securing supplies of critical materials such as batteries and rare earths, saying the demand signal enables negotiation and investment with suppliers.
Lockheed Martin also described an international and industrial approach: the PAC‑3 Adapted Capability Effector (PAC‑3 ACE) is being advanced under a joint-development model with American and European industry, and a partnership with General Motors is intended to bring commercial high‑rate manufacturing expertise into the process. The company is also investing in a new Rapid Fielding Center in Grand Prairie, Texas, to shorten traditional manufacturing timelines.
What this means for the U.S. Army, Lockheed Martin’s workforce, and suppliers
- The U.S. Army: The report ties the production ramps directly to fielded systems and integration efforts, noting PAC‑3 MSE and THAAD are “cornerstones of a layered air and missile defense system” and have been integrated via Joint All‑Domain Operations and the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS).
- Lockheed Martin’s workforce: The company plans substantial hiring and training across Troy and Camden, positioning facilities and training centers to absorb students, veterans, and local hires as production scales.
- Suppliers and industrial partners: Longer-term procurement agreements and larger upfront buys are described as enabling suppliers to expand capacity, prototype new motors and components, and secure critical inputs such as batteries and rare earth minerals.
Lockheed Martin’s account is centered on translating guaranteed demand into factories, robotics, and people: investments in sites from Troy to Camden, automation-first manufacturing for PrSM, a $60‑million Archbald expansion to add 700 jobs, and new production lines and partnerships designed to multiply output. The next concrete markers in the timeline cited by the company are continued construction at Troy, the ramp in Camden, and introduction of PAC‑3 ACE—described as producible at “less than half the unit cost of MSE” with a potential first flight “within 18 months.”
