GM's defense arm helps speed up PAC-3 MSE production

GM Defense delivered its first batch of PAC-3 MSE missile-housing components to Lockheed Martin on Sept. 16, just 22 days after the two companies signed a formal production contract, Lockheed Martin said in a post on X.

“The message is clear: we’re moving at the speed of relevance,” Lockheed Martin said. “The future of defense is being written now, and we’re setting a new standard for speed and agility in the industry.”

The delivery follows a memorandum of understanding GM Defense and Lockheed Martin signed in June 2026 to combine Lockheed’s missile production expertise with General Motors’ high-rate commercial manufacturing capacity, part of a broader push to widen the industrial base that builds the PAC-3 MSE interceptor. Neither company has said what portion of the missile the housing components cover or how many units GM Defense will supply under the contract.

The PAC-3 MSE, a hit-to-kill interceptor built to shoot down ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and aircraft, has seen a sharp jump in demand over the past year. The U.S. Army awarded Lockheed Martin a $9.8 billion contract in September 2025 for 1,970 interceptors, the largest deal in the history of Lockheed’s missiles and fire control business. In January 2026, Lockheed Martin signed a framework agreement with the Department of War to triple annual PAC-3 MSE production capacity from roughly 600 to 2,000 interceptors over seven years, and the government followed in April with a $4.7 billion contract to help fund that faster production pace.

That surge in demand traces in part to the missile’s use in combat. Lockheed Martin has said the PAC-3 MSE helped defend forces and infrastructure during Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. military campaign against Iran earlier this year. Seventeen partner nations, including the United States, Germany, Poland, Japan and Romania, have signed agreements to field the interceptor, and the Navy is separately working with Lockheed Martin to integrate the PAC-3 MSE into its Aegis Combat System for the first time.

GM Defense’s role adds to a supply chain Lockheed Martin has been expanding on multiple fronts. British manufacturer GKN Aerospace has built PAC-3 MSE launch tubes for decades and has also produced the interceptor’s mid-section and seeker housing components under a separate agreement dating to 2021. Lockheed Martin signed a similar memorandum of understanding with Germany’s Diehl Defence in October 2025 to explore expanding PAC-3 MSE production in Europe.

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