Lockheed Martin to Develop a Cheaper Missile for the Patriot System — Reuters
The American defense contractor Lockheed Martin has announced the development of a new, more affordable interceptor for the Patriot air defense systems. In this way, the U.S. Army is seeking cheaper ways to counter drones and missiles.
The new munition will be roughly half the price of a PAC-3 missile. This could allow for more effective use of Patriot systems to repel massive attacks, where significant stocks of expensive interceptor missiles are needed to destroy large numbers of aerial targets.
The new PAC-3 ACE missile will cost less than half the price of the original missile, the PAC-3 MSE, which costs $4 million per missile, according to U.S. Army budget documents. Production will begin in 36 months, the company said, adding that it plans to develop and manufacture the weapon in collaboration with European partners.
“The U.S. Army and its allies need a battle-proven, cost-effective solution,” said Tim Cagill, president of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.
It should be noted that the Patriot heavy air defense missile system has become the world’s most popular air defense system since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for an increase in the number of launchers and interceptor missiles, as Moscow intensifies its airstrikes.
According to the agency, the demand was also driven by missile strikes from Iran, the U.S., and Israel, as well as the escalating situation in the Persian Gulf, which led to increased shipments of advanced air defense weapons and exposed production issues across the Western defense industry.
In addition, this move by the company is linked to competition from Silicon Valley startups that promise to supply weapons faster, in larger quantities, and at a significantly lower price.
This was reported with reference to Reuters.
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