In the United States, Boeing has signed a seven-year agreement with the Pentagon worth approximately $14.7 billion that provides for tripling the production of seeker heads for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement, or PAC-3 MSE, interceptor missiles. Defense News reports.
The contract supports the Pentagon's defense procurement transformation strategy. It builds on a framework agreement that Boeing announced in April. Production is planned for seven years, with work to be carried out at Boeing's facility in Huntsville, Alabama.
In April, Boeing also reported that work on the seeker heads had already begun. Steve Parker, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, said that early investments and a focus on quality and order execution enabled the company to deliver these components in unprecedented volumes in the near future.
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The seeker head detects and tracks targets, including ballistic and hypersonic missiles, as well as hostile aerial platforms. After acquiring a target, the maneuverable PAC-3 MSE interceptor, equipped with a dual-pulse solid-fuel rocket motor, destroys it through a direct collision.
Boeing's agreement aligns with Lockheed Martin's plans to increase production of complete PAC-3 MSE interceptor missiles. In January, Lockheed Martin announced a seven-year framework agreement intended to increase annual production of such interceptors from approximately 600 to 2,000 units.
