The United States, which has been at war with Iran, has moved to expand interceptor missile production capacity through long-term procurement contracts with defense companies.
On the 31st (local time), the Ministry of National Defense, referred to as the War Department, said it would launch a seven-year multiyear procurement contract (MYP) with General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin to expand production and enable early delivery of key missile components used in THAAD and PAC-3 MSE.
The core of the contract is to guarantee stable long-term demand so defense firms can preemptively increase production facilities and staffing.
The Ministry of National Defense plans to present a minimum annual procurement quantity so companies can add staff, secure raw materials in bulk, and expand production facilities. Actual funding, however, will be decided each year by congressional appropriations.
The Ministry of National Defense aims to triple production capacity for the latest Patriot (PAC-3 MSE) interceptor missiles and increase production of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors by up to four times. The long-term procurement deal is seen as a move not just to expand output but to enlarge the air-defense weapons supply chain itself.
Michael Duffy, Vice Minister for acquisition and sustainment at the Ministry of National Defense, said, "We will rapidly scale up domestic manufacturing capacity to deliver advanced air-defense missile capabilities," emphasizing shorter production timelines and an expanded manufacturing base.
The United States moved to a large-scale production surge because interceptor missile inventories have fallen quickly in the war with Iran. For more than six months of war, the United States has relied heavily on interceptor systems such as Patriot and THAAD to stop Iran's ballistic missile attacks.
President Donald Trump has insisted that U.S. interceptor missile stocks are sufficient, but actual inventories are believed to have dropped sharply. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated on the 27th that the U.S. PAC-3 stock stands at 759 to 827 rounds, down as much as about 67% from 2,330 before the war. THAAD interceptor stocks were also estimated at 234 to 278 rounds, nearly half of the 452 before the war.