The US Department of Defence on Wednesday announced three agreements with defence contractors to boost the production of missiles and other components to replenish dwindling supplies used in the Middle East war.
The extensive use of interceptor missiles by the United States, Israel and Gulf states to counter Iranian retaliatory attacks has raised concerns about stockpile levels.
Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems agreed to a fourfold increase in the production of a key component known as “seeker heads” for THAAD, a high-altitude anti-missile system that has seen significant use in the Middle East.
The agreement puts the “industrial base on a wartime footing,” the Department of Defense said in a press release.
At the end of January, Lockheed Martin had already announced plans to accelerate its THAAD production from around 100 to about 400 units annually within a few years.
