General Motors is adding missile parts to its manufacturing résumé.
On Thursday, major defense contractor Lockheed Martin announced that GM Defense — the automaker’s military subsidiary — had delivered housing components for the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement interceptor, a missile used by the Patriot air-defense system. The companies entered into a formal contract on August 6, and the first batch of components was delivered to Lockheed 22 days later, the companies said.
Tim Cahill, Lockheed Martin’s president of missiles and fire control, called it an “extraordinary 22‑day turnaround.”
Demand for Patriot interceptors, particularly the advanced PAC-3 MSE built for complex threats, has surged as the wars in Ukraine and against Iran strain US and allied inventories.
Over recent months, media reports and think tank assessments have raised concerns about US munition stockpiles, including Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles and Patriot interceptors.
The Pentagon and the White House have dismissed concerns about the status of the US stockpiles. A newly released Department of Defense Inspector General report said that “munitions expenditure in [Operation Epic Fury] has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply.” It did not specify which kinds of munitions.
The US defense industry is also expanding munition production in partnership with the Pentagon.
GM isn’t building the entire interceptor. Still, its component production marks a notable expansion for a defense business better known for military vehicles.
During a July earnings call, Mary Barra, the automaker’s CEO, called defense a “growth business” and said the company was targeting nearly $700 million in defense revenue this year.
“GM Defense is another compelling growth opportunity that enables us to deliver defense solutions faster with better economics for the US taxpayer,” she said.
GM isn’t alone. Ford CEO Jim Farley also said during a July earnings call that his company is “continuing to discuss additional Defense-related projects with the US government.”
Lockheed Martin and GM said they plan to apply their partnership to other munitions programs and future defense systems. Lockheed said it is investing between $8 billion and $9 billion to scale production of weapons, including the PAC-3 MSE. It expects its munitions production and warehouse space to grow by nearly 50%.
“We’re proud to support production of this country’s critical defense capabilities,” Stephen duMont, the president and CEO of GM Defense, wrote in a press release. “We look forward to putting these strengths to work in support of our nation’s security and the people who protect it.”
