Overview
- President Donald Trump met March 6 with the CEOs of BAE Systems, Boeing, Honeywell Aerospace, L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and RTX at the White House to discuss accelerating munitions production, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in attendance.
- Trump said companies agreed to quadruple production of what he called “Exquisite Class” weaponry, offered no timeline or list of systems, and set a follow-up meeting in two months.
- Lockheed Martin said it agreed to quadruple critical munitions output, while RTX and other firms pointed to previously announced framework deals to raise production of Tomahawk, AMRAAM, SM‑3 and SM‑6, with many agreements not yet converted into finalized contracts.
- The Pentagon has outlined plans to expand interceptor output, including Lockheed’s PAC‑3 capacity target of 2,000 per year and a THAAD goal of 400 per year, though industry and analysts note increases will take months to years, with Lockheed’s CEO earlier estimating three years to triple PAC‑3 production.
- Reuters reporting indicates the administration may seek roughly $50 billion in supplemental funding to replenish weapons used in recent operations, as the White House maintains current stockpiles are sufficient for Operation Epic Fury.