The expansion will nearly double the facility's current production space and is expected to generate a significant number of new American jobs over the next three years, adding to the almost 4,000 Lockheed Martin employees in the state of Alabama.
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE
"This partnership is critical to surging our munitions capacity, and Lockheed Martin has leaned in aggressively. Today is a testament to that partnership and that progress," said the Honorable Michael Duffey, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment, during his remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony.
"Lockheed Martin is ready now to meet the urgent demand to expand production capacity," said Lockheed Martin Chairman, President and CEO Jim Taiclet. "We have already invested well over a billion dollars in this expansion, which directly strengthens deterrence and helps ensure our service members and allies have the capabilities they need when they need them."
WHY IT MATTERS
In addition to the U.S., THAAD is operated by the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is the only U.S. system designed to intercept targets outside and inside the atmosphere and is integrated with PAC-3® Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) to provide the warfighter with an expanded battlespace and enhanced flexibility.
ADDITIONAL CONTEXT
- Future Growth in Alabama: Lockheed Martin is planning several additional facility groundbreakings and expansions in the state in support of other programs including Next Generation Interceptor (NGI), AGM-158 and Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW).
- Alabama Community Support: Lockheed Martin is strengthening Alabama communities through investments in military and veteran support, STEM education and community resilience. In 2025, the company awarded more than $640,000 in grants to 18 nonprofit partners statewide and has invested nearly $200,000 in the STEM Academy Lab at the Center for Advanced Academics and Accelerated Learning in Pike County Schools, supporting hands-on student learning with advanced tools and technologies.
- Multibillion-Dollar Investment: Lockheed Martin is investing more than $9 billion through 2030 and is already using that funding to scale munitions production and upgrade or build more than 20 facilities across the United States to meet heightened defense demand.
- Supply Chain Resilience: Lockheed Martin is strengthening resilience of our supply chain, deepening collaboration with suppliers and driving innovation across operations. Last week Lockheed Martin hosted a summit with suppliers that are critical to scaling munitions production, focusing on building stronger relationships, emphasizing speed and driving solutions to better prepare for current and future threats.
- Acquisition Transformation Strategy: Lockheed Martin was the first in the industry to announce a framework agreement for munitions acceleration under the Department of War's Acquisition Transformation Strategy, tripling production capacity of the combat-proven PAC-3 MSE interceptor. Following that agreement, Lockheed Martin has announced further agreements to quadruple production of THAAD and Precision Strike Missile (PrSM).
- Manufacturing Details: Lockheed Martin has more than 340,000 square feet of dedicated operations space for THAAD across nine U.S. sites, with nearly 750 U.S.-based suppliers across 42 states.
About Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is a global defense technology company driving innovation and advancing scientific discovery. Our all-domain mission solutions and 21st Century Security® vision accelerate the delivery of transformative technologies to ensure those we serve always stay ahead of ready. More information at Lockheedmartin.com.
SOURCE Lockheed Martin
Share this article