Lockheed Martin awarded $3.9 billion THAAD contract

Lockheed Martin will produce elements of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Weapons System for the Missile Defense Agency and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under a $3.9 billion production contract announced on 23 September.

Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will manufacture and deliver a maximum of 110 Lot 4, 5 and 6 interceptors for the US Army, including the fiscal 2014 option. The contract also includes interceptors and other ground hardware for the UAE.

Mathew Joyce, vice president and program manager for THAAD at Lockheed Martin, said: ‘Lockheed Martin is focused on delivering these key components of the THAAD Weapon System to our customers. We continue to see strong interest from around the globe for the unique capabilities THAAD can provide.’

A THAAD battery was deployed for the first time internationally by the US Army to Guam earlier this year. THAAD, a key element of the nation's Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS), is a missile defence system designed to intercept in both the endo- and exo-atmospheres to provide versatile capability to the warfighter.

Lockheed Martin is currently under contract for five THAAD batteries for the US Army. Deliveries on Batteries 3 and 4 are underway, with final completion expected in December 2013. Battery 5 was awarded in late 2012.