Lockheed Martin is expanding its presence in Alabama with a new production facility in Troy that will help increase manufacturing of one of the nation’s key missile-defense systems.
The defense contractor broke ground on May 21 on a new 87,000-square-foot Munitions Production Center at its Pike County operations site, where Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors are produced.
According to Lockheed Martin, the new “Building 47” facility will nearly double the site’s current production space and support future work tied to the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) program.
The expansion is expected to create additional jobs over the next three years, adding to the nearly 4,000 Lockheed Martin employees already working in Alabama.
This move comes as the U.S. and its allies continue increasing demand for missile-defense systems amid growing global security concerns. Lockheed Martin said the project is part of a broader effort to expand missile production and modernize manufacturing capacity across the country.
The company said it plans to invest more than $9 billion through 2030 to scale munitions manufacturing and upgrade or build more than 20 facilities nationwide.
THAAD is designed to intercept ballistic missiles both inside and outside the atmosphere and is currently used by the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to the company.
The Troy expansion follows Lockheed Martin’s January announcement that it would quadruple annual THAAD interceptor production from 96 to 400 units over the next seven years under a framework agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense.
In remarks during the groundbreaking ceremony, Michael Duffey, under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, called the partnership with Lockheed Martin “critical to surging our munitions capacity.”
“Today is a testament to that partnership and that progress,” Duffey said.
Jim Taiclet, Lockheed Martin’s chairman, president and CEO, said the company has already invested “well over a billion dollars” into expanding production capacity.
“Lockheed Martin is ready now to meet the urgent demand to expand production capacity,” Taiclet said. “We have already invested well over a billion dollars in this expansion, which directly strengthens deterrence and helps ensure our service members and allies have the capabilities they need when they need them.”
The company also said additional Alabama facility expansions are planned in support of programs including NGI, AGM-158 and the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW).
Lockheed Martin also highlighted its Alabama community investments, including more than $640,000 in grants awarded to 18 nonprofit organizations statewide in 2025 and nearly $200,000 invested in the STEM Academy Lab at the Center for Advanced Academics and Accelerated Learning in Pike County Schools.
According to Lockheed Martin, its Pike County facility has operated in Troy since 1994 and supports production work for several missile systems, including THAAD, Javelin, HELLFIRE, JASSM and LRASM.
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
