In a geopolitical context marked by growing regional tensions and the war in Ukraine, the defense industry is experiencing a time of high demand. Boeing, one of the industry giants, has just announced a significant increase in the production of seekers for the Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile system.
This component is essential to the effectiveness of the Patriot air defense missile system, enabling it to identify and neutralize fast-moving airborne threats with pinpoint accuracy. The increase in production, which Boeing estimates will be more than 20% over last year’s, is in response to a global increase in orders, driven in part by the war in Ukraine and rising tensions in the Middle East and Indo-Pacific.
“The PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement — equipped with a Boeing seeker — saves lives,” said Jim Bryan, director of Integrated Air & Missile Defense. “U.S. and allied service members and civilians rely on what our teammates build and deliver, so we’re ramping up production to provide more protection in more places to help meet the need for this capability.”
Boeing’s commitment to expanding its production capacity led to improvements in manufacturing processes and production control; increased supply chain stability to support PAC-3 circuit board assembly and complete pager manufacturing; and improved quality first in product testing.
PAC-3 seekers provide the most advanced interceptors used by the Patriot system with precision target location data to defeat everything from incoming ballistic and cruise missiles to hostile aircraft and other advanced weapons. Seventeen countries around the world now have PAC-3 interceptors, including most recently Ukraine.
Since 2000, Boeing has delivered more than 5,000 increasingly sophisticated PAC-3 seekers for the U.S. Army and partners around the world as a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin in Huntsville, Alabama.
Boeing’s plans to meet current demand and position itself to respond to future challenges include:
- building a 35,000-square-foot (3,300-square-meter) expansion of its PAC-3 seeker factory in Huntsville to increase annual production capacity by more than 30%.
- invest in state-of-the-art equipment and technology, such as automated inspection equipment and robotic welding.
- continue to strengthen and expand supplier relationships, as well as form strategic agreements for a more agile, efficient and resilient supply chain that can scale as needed.
