Lockheed Martin unveiled PAC-3 Edge, an interceptor designed to counter hypersonic and other advanced missile threats. The company said its cost would be about that of the PAC-3 MSE and that production could reach about 2,000 units annually.
Lockheed Martin said PAC-3 Edge has a new seeker, upgraded flight controls and a multi-pulse rocket motor supplied by Northrop Grumman. The company said these features enhance its ability to counter advanced threats, including hypersonic missiles, at longer ranges and higher altitudes.
Tim Cahill, Lockheed Martin’s president of missiles and fire control, said the interceptor would cost about as much as the existing PAC-3 MSE and could reach an annual production rate of about 2,000 units at full production. In January, the company signed a seven-year framework agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to expand annual PAC-3 production capacity from about 600 to 2,000 units. The U.S. Army awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth up to $58.6 billion in July to ramp up PAC-3 interceptor production.
