The American Ministry of Defense announced agreements with industrial companies on Wednesday to ramp up its missile production as the conflict in the Middle East pushes Washington to use its ammunition at an accelerated pace.
The war in the Middle East, initiated by the United States and Israel, began almost a month ago. As the American military and its allies face Iranian retaliation, Washington aims to replenish its stocks of both defense and offensive weapons. On Wednesday, the Pentagon presented several agreements with American industrial companies to accelerate production, with the goal of “putting the defense industry on a war footing” and “building the arsenal of freedom”, according to the Pentagon’s statement.
One agreement intends to quadruple the production of a key component for THAAD, a high-altitude anti-missile system considered one of the most advanced in the world, which has been heavily utilized in recent weeks in the Middle East. This agreement with Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems focuses on the seekers of defense missiles. In late January, Lockheed Martin had already announced an acceleration of its THAAD production from around 100 to approximately 400 per year within a few years.
Quadrupling the Production of Long-Range PrSM Missiles
With the same American defense industry giant, the American Ministry of Defense also announced a second agreement to “accelerate” the production of PrSM (Precision Strike Missiles), a long-range tactical ballistic missile (at least 500 kilometers) launched two years ago and used for the first time in combat against Iran. Its production is also set to quadruple, as assured by Lockheed Martin in a separate statement.
The PrSM missiles succeed the ATACMS family, launched in 1991 and notably used in the two Gulf Wars. According to Forbes, cited by RTL, the PrSM missiles are equipped with a lighter warhead of 90 kg and also more compact (430 mm instead of 610 mm), allowing two of them to be placed on the same launcher, thereby doubling the firepower of a complete salvo.
The range of the PrSM missiles is also longer, at least 500 kilometers compared to 300 for the ATACMS. The United States aims to further extend this range, with an interim target of 650 kilometers. These missiles are also equipped with GPS guidance allowing them to strike within a meter of their target, but this precision can be distorted by enemy jamming.
Washington also announced a third agreement with Honeywell Aerospace to boost the production of “critical components for the American ammunition stockpile”, including electronics. On its part, the company specified in a separate statement that this framework agreement involved a multi-year investment of $500 million to upgrade its production capacities, in order to “quickly increase the manufacturing of crucial defense technologies.”
It has committed to producing more navigation systems, actuators (components for missile maneuverability), and solutions for electronic warfare, intended especially for AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles with radar guidance.
