Britain’s GKN Aerospace on Monday said it signed a follow-on contract with Lockheed Martin [LMT] to continue providing launch tubes for a Patriot missile model and added a development contract.
The follow-on contract will have GKN continue to supply launch tubes for the Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC)-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) model through 2025. The second agreement covers a development contract starting in October for “tooling, pathfinder units, and qualification necessary to manufacture the mid-section and seeker housing with production of PAC-3 MSE hardware” starting in 2024, GKN said.
The companies did not disclose the contract amount but said it was valued as “multi-million” dollars.
The PAC-3 MSE modifies the base models by using a two-pulse solid rocket motor for increased range and enhanced airframe for more maneuverability. It has been in full-rate production since 2018.
“Our extensive relationship with Lockheed Martin on the PAC-3 is built on our outstanding performance, commitment and dedication to our customers. I am proud of our team for their hard work and we appreciate the opportunity to expand our involvement in support of the PAC-3,” Krisstie Kondrotis, president of the defense business at GKN Aerospace, said in a statement.
The company noted GKN’s Fokker business has been supporting the PAC-3 program for over 30 years via developing lightweight composite launch tubes.
GKN also provides components for major U.S. military aircraft. In 2020 it said it extended a partnership with Boeing [BA] to continue providing structural components and assemblies like external surfaces, internal structures and leading edges for aircraft like the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F-15E Strike Eagle, and C-17 Globemaster III (Defense Daily, May 11, 2020).
Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the PAC-3 MSE. It has signed agreements to sell the missile to the U.S., Bahrain, Germany, Japan, Poland, Qatar, Romania, South Korea, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates.