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Lockheed Martin plans to field a new, lower-cost model of the Patriot missile that can be deployed to battlefields at speed, as demand from militaries for more cost-effective ways to counter drones soars as a result of recent conflicts.
The US defence group on Monday said the new PAC-3 Adapted Capability Effector (ACE) missile would cost less than half its current PAC-3 MSE interceptors that, according to US Army budget documents, cost about $4mn per missile.
Lockheed said it planned to develop and manufacture the weapon together with US 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 on the opening day of the biennial Farnborough Airshow, which brings together the world’s aerospace and defence industries.
Demand for the Patriot system has surged since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, depleting global stockpiles. At the same time, demand for lower-cost alternatives to counter cheap drones and other missiles has soared.
The launch of a cheaper interceptor system by one of the world’s biggest defence companies underscores how established contractors are trying to respond to intense competition from smaller, more nimble technology start-ups.
Ukrainian arms maker Fire Point last month announced it had carried out the first test flight of its FP-7.x anti-missile interceptor, which it said was intended to counter Russian ballistic missile and drone threats at a fraction of the cost of existing western systems such as the Patriot and the Franco-Italian SAMP-T and could eventually be produced in far larger numbers.
Lockheed’s promise to co-produce the system with European partners also underlines how US companies are shifting strategy from simply selling their weapons to allies.
European governments are increasingly looking to build indigenous capabilities and plug gaps, especially in air defence, as the US under President Donald Trump has pulled back from Europe.
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