Lockheed Martin in ‘Deep’ Overseas Patriot Production Talks as Ukraine Eyes Domestic Output

ARLINGTON, Virginia – Lockheed Martin is in advanced talks with allied countries about producing PAC-3 air-defense interceptors outside the United States as global demand for the missiles triples, Dan Tenney, the company’s Senior Vice President for Global Business Development and Strategy, told Kyiv Post on Wednesday. The US defense giant is investing up to $9 billion through 2030 to expand missile production, strengthen supply chains and bring new factories online as governments race to replenish stocks and reinforce air defenses.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “We have historic demand for the PAC-3 around the world,” Tenney said. “We have seen a tripling of the demand.” He said the company is investing in at least 20 US facilities over the next five years while simultaneously exploring production beyond American territory. Where Does Ukraine Fit? Kyiv Post asked directly where Ukraine fits into potential PAC-3 production and how quickly such cooperation could begin. According to Tenney, Lockheed Martin is already in advanced negotiations with several countries over future production sites and participating suppliers. “We already have dialogues with a number of nations,” he said. “I don’t want to comment on particulars because negotiations are continuing about where we will produce these capabilities [and] which suppliers” will be involved. “We are in pretty deep discussions on this.” Other Topics of Interest US Extends Waiver for Russian-Controlled Serbian Oil Firm as Exit Talks Drag On Serbia also secured three more months of Russian gas supplies, underscoring Belgrade’s continued energy dependence on Moscow. Lockheed Martin and the US government have already agreed to expand annual PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement, or MSE, production capacity from roughly 600 to 2,000 interceptors by the end of 2030. The company is also preparing PAC-3 ACE, a lower-cost interceptor within the same missile family, as it seeks to increase capacity across multiple variants. “We’re going to increase capacity for both of these missiles around the world,” the executive said. ‘Historic Demand’ for Air Defense Pointing to its advanced seeker technology and hit-to-kill precision, the vice president underscored the interceptor’s battlefield performance. “The PAC-3 missile is the most advanced capability in the world for interception,” he said. “The capability for it to hit on target is unprecedented.” PAC-3 MSE is designed to intercept ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, advanced aircraft and other airborne threats – capabilities that have become increasingly critical as Russia continues using ballistic missiles and other high-speed weapons against Ukrainian cities. Asked what was preventing Lockheed Martin from expanding production even faster, the executive gave a simple answer. “Really, it’s just time,” he said. “It’s time for us to build new factories to bring the global demand that we’re seeing at scale.” Last week, President Volodymyr Zelensky said US President Donald Trump had made the final political decision allowing Ukraine to pursue domestic production of Patriot missile interceptors. Trump first floated the idea in July, calling Ukrainian production of Patriot missiles a “cool idea.” The proposal later reportedly ran into concerns over the transfer of sensitive US military technology. According to Zelensky, Trump has now given the political approval needed for Kyiv to move forward with plans for domestic production. Lockheed Expands Across Europe Speaking to a roundtable of journalists, the senior executive elaborated on Lockheed Martin’s broader plans to expand production, maintenance and logistics partnerships across Europe. “We are expanding our work across Europe,” he said. “We think it’s healthy.” The company is also exploring locations for a missile maintenance facility in Europe, though no country has yet been announced. Microwave ‘Drone Killer’ Targets Swarms The company is also investing heavily in cheaper ways to defeat mass drone attacks – a challenge that has become central to Ukraine’s defense. The executive highlighted MORFIUS X-Rotor, an autonomous counter-drone aircraft using high-power microwaves instead of conventional missile interceptors. He said MORFIUS can neutralize more than 50 drones before returning to recharge. “It can take down 50-plus drones before it has to come back [and] get a recharge,” he said. The system takes off vertically, transitions to horizontal flight and uses onboard targeting capability to hunt drones before attacking them with high-power microwave energy. AI Battle Management Lockheed Martin is also developing an AI-driven counter-drone battle-management architecture capable of integrating different sensors and weapons. The executive said the system can learn from detected threats and share that information across the network, helping determine which defensive weapon should be used against each target. That could mean choosing between electronic warfare, lasers, microwave weapons or kinetic interceptors rather than automatically assigning an expensive missile to every incoming drone. “It has the ability to put the right effector on that particular drone,” he said. Black Hawk Without a Pilot Autonomy is also moving into some of Lockheed Martin’s best-known aircraft. Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, has developed U-Hawk, an autonomous aircraft derived from the Black Hawk helicopter. “What we did with U-Hawk is take the entire cockpit out of the Black Hawk,” the executive said. The aircraft uses Lockheed Martin’s MATRIX autonomy system and can transport up to 10,000 pounds into contested environments without putting an aircrew at risk. “You’re not risking the life of a pilot,” he said. Unlike a remotely piloted aircraft following only predetermined waypoints, the system is designed to interpret its surroundings, use information from other platforms – including space-based assets – and adjust its route autonomously. U-Hawk was developed in about 10 months and is expected to fly this year, according to the executive. F-35 Sales Remain Government Decisions Asked whether Lockheed Martin decides which countries receive F-35 fighters, the executive stressed that such decisions remain with governments. “Any kind of military sale is a government-to-government transaction,” he said. Lockheed Martin works with Washington and partner governments to provide production capacity and capabilities, but approval for individual countries remains a US government decision. The company is nevertheless looking to expand the F-35 industrial supply chain internationally. “We’re always open to new partners,” the executive said, while noting that any expansion requires close coordination with the US government.