Protecting the horizon
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Lockheed Martin follows Raytheon in strategic teaming on rocket motors as demand increases
The missiles that decide the outcome of conflicts are powered by rocket motors. The more active the conflict, the more rocket motors are needed. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
The major defence manufacturers have been looking to secure their supply chains as more missiles are being used in Ukraine.
Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics have signed a strategic teaming agreement for the production of solid rocket motors. The move is aimed at securing a domestic supply chain for the motors that, for instance, fire missiles at their targets.
Such strategic collaborations look to be an emerging defence trend in 2024, following Raytheon’s signing of a deal with Avio in July for the same fundamental purposes. Raytheon justified the collaboration with the logic that more of its rocket motors were being used than had been usual in Ukraine, powering its Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) and AIM-9X AAM missiles, as the resistance to the Russian invasion continued.
The rationale from Lockheed Martin is similar.
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“This agreement enables Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics to ramp production of in-demand solutions more quickly going forward,” said Tim Cahill, president of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “Maintaining a robust and diverse supply chain for solid rocket motors is critical to advancing our vision for a stronger, more resilient defence industrial base.”
The work of the collaborating companies will initially focus on the production of rocket motors for the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) at the General Dynamics facility in Camden, Arkansas, beginning in 2025. Lockheed Martin said the initial collaboration would be followed by a phased planning approach to transition to other products.
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