Overview
- Lockheed Martin inaugurated an 88,000-square-foot Missile Assembly Building 5 in Courtland, Alabama, on Monday, June 1, to serve as the dedicated production center for the Next Generation Interceptor.
- MAB-5 uses digital engineering and a 'digital twin' workflow drawn from THAAD and hypersonics work to cut defects, reduce rework, and make factory output more repeatable.
- The NGI is an open, modular interceptor designed to accept technology insertions without removing the missile from its silo, a change meant to speed upgrades and keep pace with more complex ICBM threats.
- Company and program leaders say key NGI elements — sensors, engagement software, propulsion and integration — are showing system-level performance ahead of the Critical Design Review, signaling a move from design toward initial production even as full-rate output depends on upcoming Pentagon milestones and funding decisions.
- Courtland and Lockheed’s Troy facility together form a north Alabama production hub that Lockheed says will create skilled jobs, strengthen the local supply chain, and provide a regional base for the Pentagon’s Golden Dome for America missile‑defense effort.