WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin today unveiled the PAC-3 Edge, its offering for the Army’s future Patriot interceptor that the company says can fly farther and hit more capable targets than the current PAC-3 missile.
Tim Cahill, president of Lockheed’s Missile and Fire Control Unit, said the new interceptor is intended for what Lockheed called the Army’s Future Interceptor program, which he said aims to develop a next-generation version of the Patriot’s current PAC-3 Missile Segment Improvement (MSE).
Cahill said Lockheed was one of two companies selected to move forward with the program. He did not identify the other company, and the Army did not respond today to a request for more information.
Lockheed prepares to unveil a on a large scale model of the new missile monday onet the Association for the American Army conference, Cahill said.
“PAC-3 Edge is designed to take on the most stressful targets that we – and, more importantly, the War Department – face. believes are the next generation (threats) that they’re going to see in the fight from our adversaries,” Cahill said in an interview with Breaking Defense ahead of AUSA, using the Department of Defense’s secondary name.
“The PAC-3 Edge will have a longer range. It will have a higher altitude. It will be more capable of attacking targets that are trying to hide,” he added. “It will have greater sensitivity in its seeker. It will have greater ability to maneuver and respond to threats.”
Lockheed intends to invest hundreds of millions of dollars of its own cash in the missile alone, alongside additional investments in its seeker and solid rocket motor, Cahill said.
“We probably already have $50 (million) to $100 million or more invested in this project,” he said.
Lockheed is developing the finder internally, with the goal of being able to use the new technology on other offensive and defensive systems, Cahill said. The company plans to invest about $800 million in the researcher, after investing “several $100 million” in it so far.
For the solid rocket engine, Lockheed is working with Northrop Grumman on a three-pulse engine.r intended to provide greater range and altitude compared to the older PAC-3 missile, he said.
Lockheed intends to begin testing the PAC-3 Edge in 2027, ahead of its first deployment in 2031, the company said in a press release.
The PAC-3 Edge will be manufactured on Lockheed’s existing PAC-3 line in Camden, Ark. The company is currently ramping up production of the PAC-3 MSE as part of a deal with the Pentagon to triple interceptor production over the next seven years.
TTo support this effort, Lockheed is building a new MSE production facility equipped with robotics, automation and AI intended to improve manufacturing efficiency, Cahill said. Production of the PAC-3 will be transferred to the new facility once completed, ad the old installation will receive the same upgrades.
“That will then be available to build Edge in the future,” he said. “Before we get to the point where we produce Edge, we will have already equipped the entire factory end-to-end with the most modern manufacturing capability available, frankly, in the world.”
The Army has struggled in its effort to develop a next-generation interceptor for the Patriot missile defense system.. In 2024, tThe service announced its intention to cancel the Lower-Tier Future Interceptor (LTFI) programwhich saw Raytheon and Lockheed competing to build the new missile.
But a year later, an Army official suggested the program we could move forward after all.
“Some aspects of the LTFI program are still somewhat pre-decisional, but I believe we will gain support for the program, and I may be able to begin execution of the program this time next year,” Maj. Gen. Frank Lozano, then the program executive officer for missiles and space, said in October 2025.
“I think right now the glass is probably half full to be able to run this program, and so we’re really in the planning process of figuring out what that looks like in the future,” he added.
Earlier this year, Lockheed announced the development of the PAC-3 ACE, a less capable and less expensive version of the MSE that would be available to international customers.
Moving forward with the gun boom
Since the start of the year, the Pentagon has worked to increase munitions production, signing multi-year framework agreements with weapons manufacturers and suppliers intended to incentivize companies to upgrade their facilities and produce munitions. major capital investments. SSome of these agreements were turned into undefined contract actions, allowing money to start flowing to companies for production.
The department recently awarded Lockheed undefined contract actions (UCA) to accelerate production of the PAC-3 and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)auction.
“We were moving forward on our own investment anyway, so we didn’t waste time on this. But clearly the UCAs give us all the contractual authority we need to move forward,” Cahill said. “The definition of final contracts – they will come when they come. That won’t stop us from holding on.”
Ultimately, Congress will have to appropriate the money linked to production increases, butOngoing foreign military sales contracts and domestic orders could help fill any short-term backlog while lawmakers craft the budget, Cahill added.
Lockheed partnership with General Dynamics The expansion of solid rocket motor production is also progressing well, Cahill said. The companies announced the partnership in 2024 with General Dynamics’ plan to produce solid rocket motors for Lockheed’s Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS).
“We just had an engine started here in the last few days,” he said. “There was a GMLRS engine designed by Lockheed Martin that was partnered with General Dynamics to put propellant in it and start the engine.”
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