"This critical, long-term agreement will allow us to continue to move at unprecedented speed and produce PAC-3 propulsion at rates never before seen," said Ken Bedingfield, president of L3Harris's missile solutions business.
PAC-3 and THAAD: what the agreements cover
The Defense Department announced framework agreements with L3Harris on July 28, 2026 to accelerate production of solid rocket motors for two widely fielded missile defenses: the PAC-3 missile family and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor. Under the PAC-3 agreement, L3Harris will "accelerate the production of its advanced two-pulse solid rocket motor, Attitude Control Motors, and the Lethality Enhancer," the department said. L3Harris described the "Lethality Enhancer" as an explosive device that increases PAC-3’s kill radius.
For THAAD, L3Harris agreed to boost production of the solid rocket boost motor that launches the interceptor and the Liquid Divert and Attitude Control System, which maneuvers the missile in flight. The Pentagon and L3Harris did not publish firm unit counts in the announcement.
Targets, timelines, and contract status
L3Harris said it will "nearly triple production" for certain PAC-3 related products and "quadruple production" for THAAD components over the next seven years. Both framework contracts are set up now and — according to the company — are expected to be definitized later this year, a step that typically translates into high-dollar, binding purchase orders and delivery schedules. L3Harris also said it is already preparing its facilities and supply chain to meet the ramp-up.
Why the Pentagon moved: supply chains, crises, and an industrial chokepoint
The department positioned the agreements as part of a broader push to boost weapons production in the wake of the war in Ukraine and recent operations in Iran, which have raised questions about U.S. munitions levels. The announcement emphasized that solid rocket motors represent a longstanding chokepoint for missile production because their industrial base is "fractured" and "fragile."
Michael Duffey, the Pentagon's acquisition czar, framed the L3Harris deal as "a decisive win for the warfighter" that shows a commitment to "sending clear demand signals to the entire supply chain." Michael Cadenazzi, the assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy, told Breaking Defense last week that L3Harris had made "phenomenal" progress in improving solid rocket motor production since acquiring legacy producer Aerojet Rocketdyne in 2023 — noting that Aerojet Rocketdyne had faced significant delivery delays at the time of the acquisition.
Cadenazzi added that the department plans to invest "several hundred million more" dollars in solid rocket motors by the end of the fiscal year, mostly through the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) program, to build resilience and develop second sources under core providers.
Related industrial moves and munitions programs
The L3Harris agreements follow earlier efforts to scale up missile production: the Pentagon has previously made deals with Lockheed Martin to expand PAC-3 and THAAD missile manufacturing, and with Boeing and Honeywell to boost production of PAC-3 seekers and other components. Beyond these interceptors, the department has also inked production deals for other munitions including the Tomahawk cruise missile and the AMRAAM air-to-air missile. Those other production agreements remain subject to the outcome of the fiscal 2027 budget.
What this means for the Pentagon, L3Harris, and the supply chain
- The Pentagon: will push on demand signaling and follow through with investment — including "several hundred million more" in IBAS — to reduce the single-point risks the department identified in solid rocket motors.
- L3Harris: has committed to facility and supply-chain preparations and claims production increases (nearly tripling certain PAC-3 items and quadrupling THAAD components) over seven years; both sides expect definitive contracts later this year.
- The supply chain and second-source developers: face immediate pressure to scale materials, components and subassembly capacity in line with the Pentagon’s demand signals and the company's factory-level preparations in Camden, Ark., and "elsewhere," where the department said it is working directly on production growth.
These agreements address a specific technical choke point — solid rocket motors — and combine corporate capacity, Pentagon funding and hands-on oversight. The contracts are presented as a fast response to operational pressures and to a fragile industrial base, but crucial elements remain to be fixed: definitization of the deals this year and the provision of follow-on budget authority for other munitions programs in fiscal 2027. As Ken Bedingfield framed it, the promise is production "at rates never before seen;" the next questions are whether the contracts will be definitized as scheduled and whether the follow-on investments and budgets will sustain the ramp.
