Lockheed Martin awarded $430 million weapons contract

Lockheed Martin awarded $430 million weapons contract
UPI

Dec. 2 (UPI) — The U.S. Department of Defense awarded Lockheed Martin a $430.9 million contract to provide M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) for the U.S. Army and foreign military partners.

The United States has accelerated efforts to replenish supplies of weapons systems that have been delivered to Ukraine. Though a statement from the Department of Defense on Thursday confirmed the contract, it did not specify if the weapons are intended for the war-torn nation.

So far 20 HIMARS have been delivered to Ukrainian forces who have used them with devastating effect against Russian command structures and ammunition depots.

Earlier this year, Lockheed Martin invested $65 million to increase the production speed of the weapons system and have been training additional employees to join the production lines. In October, Lockheed Martin was awarded a $477 million U.S. Army contract to procure more Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GLMRS), guided rockets that can be fired from the HIMARS launcher.

In October, Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet told investors that the company would increase HIMARS production from 60 to 96 launchers annually.

The contract is expected to be completed in December 2025.

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