The US Army has awarded Lockheed Martin a $4.79 billion contract for the deliveries of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rockets and associated equipment.
The contract calls for the production of GMLRS unitary and alternative warhead (AW) rockets and integrated logistics support for the US Army and international partners.
“We are working closely with our Army customer and supply chain partners, who are moving with unprecedented speed, to ramp production capacity supporting the urgent need for this highly-reliable, combat-proven rocket,” said Jay Price, vice president of Precision Fires for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.
GMLRS is an all-weather rocket designed for fast deployment that delivers precision strike beyond the reach of most conventional weapons. The munition is the primary round for the Lockheed Martin produced HIMARS and MLRS family of launchers and features a Global Positioning System (GPS) aided inertial guidance package and small maneuvering canards on the rocket nose,which add maneuverability to enhance the accuracy of the system.
“We’re seeing an increase in demand for this versatile rocket because GMLRS provides strategic advantage, unmatched accuracy and it’s cost-effective,” said Price. “It’s the right round for many missions.”
One of the drivers of greater demand for GMLRS rockets is the fact that the US and international allies are sending the ammunition in large quantities to Ukraine to aid its defense against the Russian invasion.
Work will be performed at the Lockheed Martin facilities in Camden, Arkansas; Dallas and Lufkin, Texas; Archbald, Pennsylvania and Orlando, Florida, and will be completed in 2026.
THAAD interceptor contract brings total program value to $8.4B
On the same day of the GMLRS award, Lockheed Martin received a $180.3 million modification to a previously-awarded contract for the production of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Interceptors and associated one-shot devices to support the US government.
The Missile Defense Agency modification brought the total value of the contract to $8.32 billion.
THAAD provides defense against short, medium and intermediate-range ballistic missile threats, and is the only US system designed to intercept targets outside and inside the atmosphere. The system uses hit-to-kill technology to destroy a threat with direct impact neutralizing lethal payloads before they reach protected assets on the ground.
The first THAAD Battery (Alpha Battery, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade) was activated in May 2008 and the seventh was activated by the US Army in December 2016. In April last year, the company received funds to deliver 8th THAAD battery, which is scheduled to become operational in 2025.
