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Lockheed to make cheaper Patriot interceptors as air defense demand soars
The new interceptor uses existing Patriot infrastructure and could enter initial production within 36 months, Lockheed Martin said.
- On Monday, Lockheed Martin unveiled the PAC-3 Adapted Capability Effector at the Farnborough Airshow in England, introducing a lower-cost Patriot interceptor designed to counter drones and missiles for allied militaries.
- Rising global demand, driven by Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and missile exchanges across the Gulf, has stretched Western defense supplies and exposed production bottlenecks throughout the industry.
- Initial production of the ACE could start within 36 months, with the weapon costing less than half of the PAC-3 MSE interceptors, which currently cost roughly $4 million each.
- The launch counters Silicon Valley-backed startups promising faster, cheaper weapons; Lockheed president Tim Cahill, president of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, stated, "American and allied warfighters need a solution that is battle-tested and budget-smart."
- This strategic move positions Lockheed to tap the European rearmament boom fueled by the Ukraine conflict while addressing government goals to expand local defense manufacturing and reduce dependence on American suppliers.
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Lockheed rolls out cheaper Patriot, MBDA showcases low-cost interceptor
FARNBOROUGH — Lockheed Martin today unveiled the PAC-3 Adapted Capability Effector (ACE), an air defense system designed to defeat cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missiles at half the price of the existing PAC-3 MSE per unit. It was one of two notable low-cost interceptor designs revealed during day one of the Farnborough Airshow, as European...
Defense industry developing lower-cost Patriot interceptors to counter growth of cheap enemy drones
Lockheed Martin is developing low-cost Patriot missile interceptors to defend against cruise and ballistic missiles and cheap drones that have caused havoc on battlefields in Europe and the Middle East.
·Washington, United States
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PAC-3 ACE leverages the architecture and software of the Patriot system, but reduces the most expensive PAC-3 MSE performance
·Madrid, Spain
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Total News Sources40
Leaning Left1Leaning Right10Center13Last UpdatedBias Distribution54% Center
Bias Distribution
- 54% of the sources are Center
54% Center
C 54%
R 42%
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