U.S., Boeing and Lockheed Set Seven-Year Plan to Triple PAC-3 Seeker Production

The U.S. government, Boeing and Lockheed Martin have set up a seven-year framework agreement to triple Boeing’s production capacity for seekers used in the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement, or PAC-3 MSE, a key bottleneck in a broader push to sharply expand Patriot interceptor output.

The April 1 announcement, posted by the Department of War on war.gov, puts industrial capacity at the center of the effort. In a separate release the same day, Boeing said it has invested more than $200 million since 2024 to expand PAC-3 seeker production in Huntsville, Alabama, including a 35,000-square-foot facility expansion. Boeing said the parties would “immediately begin production ramp-up” and would negotiate toward a multiyear contract award later in 2026.

The seeker deal is tied to a related Jan. 6 framework agreement with Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the PAC-3 MSE interceptor. Public statements around that agreement said annual interceptor production capacity is planned to rise from about 600 to 2,000 per year by the end of 2030. Lockheed Martin also said it delivered a record 620 PAC-3 MSE missiles in 2025, underscoring that the current expansion is being built on top of already rising output.

PAC-3 MSE is the latest Patriot hit-to-kill interceptor, used in air and missile defense against ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and aircraft. The seeker is the missile’s active guidance and measurement component, allowing the interceptor to detect, track and intercept advanced threats. That makes seeker output essential to any larger increase in finished missile production, which is why both the government and Boeing have cast the agreement as a supply-chain expansion rather than simply a component buy.

The production push has also advanced through near-term contracting. On April 10, Lockheed Martin said it received a $4.7 billion undefinitized contract action, or UCA, to continue accelerated PAC-3 MSE production. A UCA allows work to move forward before all contract terms and pricing are finalized. Even so, the longer-term multiyear production plan remains subject to congressional authorization and appropriations.

The framework approach is meant to give companies clearer long-term demand signals so they can spend their own money on facilities, tooling and workforce growth. Boeing’s April 1 statement emphasized that point. “Across the nation and around the world, we’re making significant investments in people and facilities to meet the evolving security needs of the United States and its allies,” Steve Parker, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, said in the company’s release.

Boeing executive Bob Ciesla, vice president of Boeing Precision Engagement Systems, said the company had already increased deliveries in 2025 and was now preparing for a larger expansion in Huntsville. “In 2025, we increased deliveries by over 30% and we’re excited for the opportunity to grow our highly skilled workforce and our presence in Huntsville as we now triple production,” he said.

For the government, the point of the agreement is to remove weak links in a larger manufacturing chain. “To build a true Arsenal of Freedom, we must strengthen every link in the chain,” Michael Duffey, the under secretary of war for acquisition and sustainment, said in the April 1 department release.