All articles tagged with #lockheed martin
President Donald Trump directed contractors to redo weeks of work on a planned White House helipad, citing concerns about its appearance and the lawn’s slope, with Lockheed Martin funding and a goal to complete before Xi Jinping’s visit.
President Trump says the United States has not agreed to license Ukraine to produce Patriot missile systems, a shift from earlier pledges as Zelenskyy emphasizes the system's importance for intercepting Russian missiles; talks reportedly continue, including potential co-production with Lockheed Martin, while the U.S. remains cautious about sharing the technology.
The U.S. Department of Defense signed a $58.6 billion multiyear contract with Lockheed Martin to procure Patriot interceptors through 2032, dramatically expanding a depleted stockpile and tripling annual production from about 600 to roughly 2,000 interceptors. The deal covers more than 10,000 units and accompanies planned factory investments in Alabama and Arkansas to hire 1,000+ workers, while deliveries to Ukraine and Switzerland are being postponed to prioritize U.S. Gulf-region forces. The move signals a broad push to bolster defenses for potential future conflicts, including against China.
ULA’s Vulcan Centaur grounding due to booster nozzle anomalies has prompted its corporate parents to guarantee up to $500 million in borrowings to bolster liquidity, with Lockheed Martin recognizing a $64 million increase in its investment to reflect the guarantee’s fair value. The issues stem from booster anomalies on two Vulcan launches, leaving Vulcan idle since USSF-87 as Northrop Grumman works on redesigned motors, Space Force considers manifest adjustments, and Atlas 5 flights continue while Starliner faces schedule uncertainty. ULA had planned a high launch cadence for 2026 but has a backlogged pipeline of more than 80 missions, and both parents say they may provide further liquidity if needed, though impairment risks exist if Vulcan underperforms.
Lockheed Martin unveiled the PAC-3 Adapted Capability Effector (ACE), a Patriot interceptor priced at less than half the cost of the PAC-3 MSE to counter air and missile threats, a move aimed at aiding Ukraine amid critical PAC-3 missile shortages. Initial production is expected within 36 months, with the broader goal of boosting allied resilience against evolving ballistic threats.
At Farnborough 2026, Lockheed Martin unveiled Morfius, a small X-rotor UAS carrying a field-reusable high-powered microwave counterdrone system. It is sensor-agnostic, can engage more than 50 drones per flight, and supports the DoD’s Rapid Response Counter-UAS Roadmap, with growing global interest in counterdrone tech (including UK funding for interceptors).
Lockheed Martin unveiled the PAC-3 Adapted Capability Effector (ACE), a cheaper Patriot interceptor priced at less than half of the PAC-3 MSE and compatible with legacy Patriot systems and the Integrated Battle Command System. Debuted at Farnborough 2026, ACE targets air-breathing threats, cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missiles, aiming to ease high interceptor costs and depleted stockpiles as drones and inexpensive munitions proliferate in modern conflicts.
Lockheed Martin unveiled the Morfius X-Rotor, a ground-launched, reusable high-power microwave counter-UAS system at Farnborough 2026 that claims to neutralize more than 50 enemy drones per flight without relying on unique sensors, with production accelerated to field readiness and ongoing tests in multiple states as the U.S. pursues cheaper, scalable defense against drone swarms alongside a cheaper Patriot interceptor.
Lockheed Martin will field a cheaper PAC-3 Adapted Capability Effector (ACE) Patriot interceptor designed to counter drones, costing less than half the current PAC-3 MSE price (about $4m per missile) and developed with US and European partners to meet rising demand amid depleted stockpiles, signaling a shift toward cost-effective, battle-tested defenses and greater allied, indigenous capabilities.
The United States has begun the process of granting Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot missiles, a move Lockheed Martin backs; a senior Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent that the licensing could move faster than previously anticipated, potentially reducing Kyiv’s reliance on U.S. manufacturers, and Zelensky hailed the decision as historic as Ukraine pursues additional air-defense options like the Freya project.
The US approved a license for Ukraine to manufacture Patriot interceptors, a potential breakthrough for Kyiv, but the pathway is long. Export controls mean six months to a year of paperwork before Lockheed Martin can grant a production license. Ukraine faces a shortage of Patriot stock and would need to build a dispersed factory with subcontractors, while supply issues for key components persist. Even if the plan progresses, the earliest deliveries would be years away, making this a long-term investment in deterrence and broader European defense capacity.
Goldman Sachs secured a $70 billion retirement-asset mandate from Verizon Communications and Lockheed Martin, including about $30 billion in pension assets and $40 billion in Verizon’s defined-contribution assets (e.g., 401(k)s). The deals highlight the trend of large employers outsourcing retirement management to specialized firms amid rising complexity, as competition among asset managers intensifies. Goldman aims for more stable, recurring revenue from outsourced investments; its outsourced CIO business had about $480 billion in assets as of March 31, with roughly $3.7 trillion in assets under management across its asset and wealth management division.
NASA will launch the LINK servicing spacecraft from the Stargazer mothership using a Pegasus XL rocket to boost the Swift Observatory’s orbit, aiming to extend its life and demonstrate a path for future robotic orbital servicing.
Lockheed Martin and General Motors signed a memorandum to leverage GM’s manufacturing strength to boost weapons production, focusing on strengthening defense supply chains, advancing manufacturing, and expanding capacity through commercial expertise. The partners suggest GM could produce commonly used parts to help Lockheed scale munitions output and aim to triple/quadruple production rates for PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancements and THAAD interceptors over the coming years, though specific product lines are still being determined. The pact follows a Defense Department push for non-traditional partners and aligns with existing investments: Lockheed’s $9 billion in facilities through 2030 and GM’s $7 billion capex plus $9 billion in R&D across both firms.
GM and Lockheed Martin have formed framework agreements—at the Pentagon’s request—to dramatically accelerate U.S. munition production, including nearly tripling Patriot interceptor output and quadrupling Thaad and Precision Strike Missile production over the next seven years, by leveraging GM’s high-rate manufacturing and digital tools; the partners have not announced specific projects and will invest billions in capital and R&D to bolster the defense industrial base and supply chains.