The Pentagon signed a seven-year framework agreement with Boeing $BA $BA -0.80% and Lockheed Martin $LMT $LMT +0.70% to triple production capacity of seekers for the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement interceptor, the Defense Department announced April 1.
Boeing produces the seekers that allow PAC-3 interceptors to detect and engage incoming threats across a wide spectrum — hostile aircraft and hypersonic weapons, as well as ballistic and cruise missiles, the company says. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the PAC-3 MSE interceptor itself.
The agreement is part of the Trump administration's Arsenal of Freedom initiative, a push to expand domestic weapons manufacturing capacity. Boeing, the Pentagon, and Lockheed Martin will immediately begin scaling up production while negotiating in parallel toward a formal multi-year contract, Boeing said.
Boeing has committed more than $200 million to its Huntsville, Alabama production facility since 2024, including a 35,000-square-foot expansion of its manufacturing footprint, the company said. The deal also opens the door to additional investments Boeing has described as "cash-neutral."
"To build a true Arsenal of Freedom, we must strengthen every link in the chain," Pentagon acquisition official Michael Duffey said in a statement, according to Breaking Defense. "This agreement with Boeing is a direct reflection that speed, volume, and a resilient supply chain are paramount."
Steve Parker, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, said in a statement that the framework "will allow us to produce and deliver more advanced seekers and enhance our military's advantage."
Supply constraints on PAC-3 seekers have historically limited how quickly the interceptor could be fielded at scale, Breaking Defense reported. Boeing's seeker deliveries rose more than 30% in 2025, the company said.
The Boeing deal follows a separate framework agreement the Defense Department signed with Lockheed Martin in January to increase annual PAC-3 MSE production capacity from approximately 600 to 2,000 interceptors. Lockheed Martin said in 2025 it delivered 620 PAC-3 MSEs, exceeding the prior year by more than 20%.
This year's wave of Pentagon munitions deals has also included separate agreements to ramp up THAAD interceptor production and expand output of Tomahawk cruise missiles and AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, according to Breaking Defense. As of Tuesday's announcement, none of those framework agreements — including the Boeing deal — had been converted into formal contracts.
Boeing stock rose on the news.