Special to the Camden News
Last year, in response to a request from the U.S. Government, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) accelerated efforts to produce more of the world's most advanced air defense missile than ever before and recently completed production of its 1000th PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptor.
"We continue to see strong demand for PAC-3 MSE around the world and are committed to producing as efficiently as we can to ensure our customers have our unique missile defense technology to deter even the most advanced threats," said Brenda Davidson, vice president of PAC-3 Programs.
Lockheed Martin has steadily increased production numbers of PAC-3 MSE since achieving a full rate production decision in 2018 and is expecting to increase to annual production of 500 PAC-3 MSEs by 2024. The increased capacity will be supported in part by an 85,000-square-foot building expansion at the Camden facility, expected to begin production operations in the second quarter of 2022.
An evolution of the battle-proven PAC-3 CRI, the PAC-3 MSE boasts a dual-pulse solid rocket motor, providing increased performance in altitude and range to defend against incoming threats, including tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and aircraft.