Pentagon expands Patriot, THAAD production amid shortage concerns

The Defense Department on Monday announced agreements to sharply expand production for two key missile interceptors as part of an effort to replenish air defense stockpiles strained by the war with Iran.

The deals with Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin are expected to allow production of the Patriot and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, to triple and quadruple, respectively, the department said.

“Building the arsenal of freedom requires robust, dynamic supply chains at every level of the industrial base,” Michael Duffey, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said in the statement.

The Patriot and THAAD systems are the marquee air defense systems for the U.S. military and have been used to shoot down thousands of Iranian missiles and drones over the past five months.

The Pentagon agreements specifically seek to increase production for certain parts of the missiles. For Patriot interceptors, the framework will create a second source for solid rocket motors and increase production of ignition safety devices.

For THAAD missiles, the agreement will focus on creating more critical components, including mid-body shells, muzzle covers and rail car assemblies, the statement said.

The high operational tempo of the conflict has driven concerns about dwindling supplies of interceptor missiles. Some estimates, based on publicly available data, suggest the U.S. has used nearly two-thirds of its Patriot stockpile and nearly half of its THAAD missiles since the war began.

U.S. officials have insisted throughout the conflict that the military has adequate supplies to continue the campaign, even while the Pentagon has moved quickly to boost interceptor production.

The Army is expanding a one-year contract with Lockheed Martin into a seven-year, $58 billion deal to produce Patriot interceptors, the service said last week.

U.S. air defense systems have intercepted the vast majority of Iranian missiles and drones, according to U.S. officials, though the economics of the campaign are heavily lopsided.

Iran’s Shahed-136 one-way attack drone costs roughly $50,000 to produce, while a single Patriot interceptor costs about $4 million.

The boost in interceptor production comes amid a lull in violence during the war’s sixth month.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he had originally planned to escalate military strikes to a level “not seen since World War II,” but called them off to resume talks.

Iran’s foreign ministry rejected those claims on Monday, saying no direct talks with the U.S. were underway and there were no plans for any meetings.

The war began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28 and has since killed 18 U.S. service members and wounded more than 650 others.