Northrop获最高30亿美元导弹拦截器部件框架协议

Northrop Grumman Corp. has secured agreements worth as much as $3 billion to supply key components for missile interceptors produced by Lockheed Martin Corp., part of a broader effort to boost output of munitions drawn down by the Iran war.

The framework agreements with the Pentagon cover about $2 billion in work tied to Lockheed’s Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement, or PAC-3 MSE, interceptor missile, including the supply of solid rocket motors, said Ben Davies, vice president of defense systems at Northrop.

Northrop also reached a deal worth about $1 billion to support expanded production of Lockheed’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptor, or THAAD.

The Trump administration is pushing major defense manufacturers to replenish US munitions stockpiles that have been depleted by years of weapons transfers to Ukraine and heavy use of interceptors during recent operations in the Middle East.

Read More: Pentagon Seeks $18.2 Billion in War Funds for Interceptors

The Pentagon has reached several so-called framework agreements — essentially a formal commitment ahead of a contract award — with Lockheed, Northrop and other weapons makers to boost the effort, which also aims to bolster supplies of key munitions that would be needed in the event of a prolonged conflict with China.

Supplying solid rocket motors for Lockheed’s Patriot missile expands Northrop’s role in the program, whose sole supplier of the critical system is L3Harris Technologies Inc. Lockheed is working to triple production of the missile to 2,000 a year by the end of 2030.

Read More: Northrop Begins Making Rocket Motors for Patriot Interceptors

Northrop expects to ramp up production of the motors over the next two to three years at its facility in West Virginia. The company is in the process of tripling its production capacity there, Davies said. The company said the framework agreement will be followed by a production contract with Lockheed in the coming months.

The company also will continue supplying ignition safety devices for the PAC-3 interceptor.

Northrop’s THAAD agreement expands its existing work supplying high-temperature structural components and supports the Defense Department’s goal of quadrupling production.

The new deals follow a broader $2 billion investment by Northrop in its missile business since 2019. The company has expanded capacity in Utah, West Virginia and Maryland in anticipation of higher demand for missile propulsion systems.