Air defense is the name of the game.
It’s an unfortunate fact that we live in an increasingly dangerous world full of conflict.
Everywhere you turn, countries are hearing the martial drums in the air, and are rearming like there’s no tomorrow.
And in this brave new world of cheap swarming drones, the biggest bottleneck in the defense procurement of these countries is the air defense systems and intercepting missiles.
It also doesn’t help that the most sought-after systems and missiles, the Patriot, are exceedingly expensive and slow to manufacture.
In this scenario, Lockheed Martin announced today (20) a lower-cost Patriot interceptor, as the established defense contractors ‘face competition from startups making low-cost weapons that can be produced at scale’.
Reuters reported:
“Lockheed said its new PAC-3 Adapted Capability Effector, or ACE, missile would cost less than half as much as its PAC-3 MSE interceptors, which cost roughly $4 million per missile, according to U.S. Army budget documents.
Initial production could start within 36 months, the company said, adding that it plans to develop and manufacture the weapon with U.S. and European industry partners.
‘American and allied warfighters need a solution that is battle-tested and budget-smart’, Tim Cahill, president of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said in a statement at Britain’s Farnborough Airshow.”
Hellbound and Down 