{"id":55240,"date":"2022-05-09T13:14:55","date_gmt":"2022-05-09T13:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2022\/05\/09\/lockheed-aiming-to-double-javelin-production-seeks-supply-chain-crank-up\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:02:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:02:11","slug":"lockheed-aiming-to-double-javelin-production-seeks-supply-chain-crank-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2022\/05\/09\/lockheed-aiming-to-double-javelin-production-seeks-supply-chain-crank-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Lockheed, aiming to double Javelin production, seeks supply chain \u2018crank up\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2015 Lockheed Martin aims to nearly double production for Javelin anti-tank missiles from 2,100 to 4,000 per year, but it needs the supply chain to \u201ccrank up,\u201d according to its chief executive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the U.S. sends Javelins from its own military stockpiles to Ukraine\u2019s fight against Russia<\/a>, Lockheed is boosting Javelin production \u2015 but getting to its goal could take as long as a couple of years, Jim Taiclet<\/a> said Sunday on CBS\u2019s \u201cFace the Nation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re endeavoring to take that up to 4,000 per year, and that will take a number of months, maybe even a couple of years to get there because we have to get our supply chain to also crank up,\u201d Taiclet said. \u201cWe think we can almost double the capacity in a reasonable amount of time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congress can help by passing the Bipartisan Innovation Act to invest in domestic design, manufacturing and testing of microprocessors, to reduce reliance on foreign supplies, Taiclet said. Each Javelin contains 250 microprocessors, and Lockheed more broadly is collaborating with chipmaker Intel, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lockheed, Taiclet said, plans to expand the Troy, Ala., plant where it makes the Javelin with Raytheon Technologies. U.S. President Joe Biden visited<\/a> the plant last week, and asked Congress to pass his proposed $33 billion Ukraine-related aid package<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taiclet\u2019s comments came after the Pentagon announced Friday the Army awarded the Lockheed-Raytheon joint venture a $239 million contract modification for the Javelin, with work due to be performed in Tucson, Ariz., and completed in late 2025. The contract, which dates to 2019, has a <\/b>ceiling of about $2.2 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taiclet told CBS Lockheed is anticipating increased demand from the U.S. and its allies for advanced systems like cruise missiles, air defenses and fighter jets due to threats from Russia and China. The company will be hiring more workers for its production lines in Texas and elsewhere, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re planning for the long run, and not just in the Javelin, because … the Ukrainian conflict has highlighted … that we need to have superior systems in large enough numbers,\u201d Taiclet said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t