Lockheed Martin awarded $9.5B missile contract, boosting operations at Alabama plant

Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $9.5 billion contract to increase production of two of the U.S. military’s most advanced long-range missiles—both of which are manufactured at the company’s Pike County facility in Troy, Alabama.

According to the Defense Blog, the contract supports expanded production and deliveries of the AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) and the AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). Both are precision-guided, standoff weapons designed to strike targets from significant distances, allowing U.S. forces to operate outside the range of advanced air defense systems.

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Lockheed Martin’s Troy facility plays a central role in producing both systems. The company has made significant investments in expanding and modernizing the site in recent years. This includes the addition of a 225,000-square-foot “intelligent factory” that incorporates automated assembly processes, digital forecasting models, and a fully robotic paint line to support accelerated delivery schedules.

“Increasing JASSM and LRASM production is essential for American and allied national security, and Lockheed Martin is ready to answer the call,” said Dave Berganini, Vice President of Hypersonic and Strike Systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “We are leveraging our advanced manufacturing capabilities and investing in our production facilities to quickly and affordably deliver these critical capabilities warfighters need to maintain a strategic edge and protect our nation from emerging threats.”

The Troy plant, which opened in 1994, has grown into one of the company’s key missile production sites. It now spans nearly 4,000 acres and includes 52 buildings across its campus. The facility currently employs nearly 750 people and has seen several expansion projects over the past decade, including a $65 million development in 2014 and the opening of a workforce training center in collaboration with AIDT in 2017.

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This latest contract follows previous awards to boost missile production capabilities. In August 2024, Lockheed Martin received a $129 million contract for tooling and testing equipment. The following month, it was awarded an additional $3.2 billion to support expanded delivery of long-range precision strike weapons to U.S. and allied forces.

The JASSM, used by the U.S. Air Force, is designed to strike high-value, well-defended targets from long distances without requiring aircraft to enter contested airspace. The LRASM, used by both the Air Force and the Navy, is designed to engage maritime surface targets in heavily defended environments and allows for engagement from outside the reach of counter-fire systems