L3Harris to Triple PAC-3 MSE Component Production for Ukraine

U.S. company L3Harris Technologies has signed a seven-year framework agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin to expand production of components for PAC-3 MSE interceptor missiles used in the Patriot air defense system.

The company announced this on its official website.

L3Harris plans to nearly triple production of engines and other components for interceptor missiles. The contract is expected to be finalized by the end of this year.

The company described the agreement as the largest contract in its history related to the PAC-3 program.

Under the seven-year agreement, the company will produce dual-pulse solid-fuel rocket motors for PAC-3 MSE missiles, Attitude Control Motors for the flight control system, as well as Lethality Enhancer modules that increase the missile’s effective engagement range, particularly when intercepting cruise missiles.

L3Harris Missile Solutions President Ken Bedingfield said the long-term agreement will enable the company to achieve record production rates.

“This long-term agreement allows us to operate at unprecedented speed and produce PAC-3 components at a scale the company has never reached before. We are already preparing our manufacturing facilities and supply chains for increased production volumes,” he said.

To fulfill the order, the company is upgrading its production facility in Camden, Arkansas, where PAC-3 MSE missile engines are manufactured.

The plant has received new automated digital X-ray inspection systems and upgraded production lines, which have reduced product testing time and accelerated the manufacturing cycle.

In addition, L3Harris is implementing a large-scale expansion program for its manufacturing capacity in the United States. The company is investing billions of dollars to build around 60 new facilities.

Militarnyi previously reported that U.S. defense company Lockheed Martin had developed a new low-cost interceptor missile for the Patriot air defense system – the PAC-3 ACE.

The missile is positioned as a more affordable alternative to the well-known PAC-3 MSE, which has proven effective in intercepting Russian ballistic missiles.