Story perspectives

Army advances PAC-3 Edge, testing starts 2027

By Drooid · Oct 12, 2026, 6:37 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Lockheed Martin unveiled the PAC-3 Edge interceptor for the U.S. Army.
The Army advanced Lockheed Martin to the next development phase of its Future Interceptor program.
Testing of PAC-3 Edge will begin in 2027 with rapid deployment targeted for 2031.
The Army awarded Lockheed Martin a contract up to $58.6 billion to raise PAC-3 production to 2,000 units annually.
The interceptor uses a seeker from Lockheed’s Strigo Product Center (funded by $250 million) and a Northrop Grumman multi-pulse rocket motor.

History

Historical Context

After Raytheon's SAM-D program was renamed Patriot in 1976, the MIM-104 entered service in 1984, replacing Nike-Hercules and Hawk. An upgrade in 1990 added PAC-2 missiles, which saw combat in the 1991 Gulf War and proved the system’s ballistic-missile capability. Today Lockheed Martin continues PAC-3 upgrades as the Army targets 2,000 units annually by 2031.

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Story summary

Lockheed Martin unveiled the PAC-3 Edge interceptor for the U.S. Army.
The Army advanced Lockheed Martin to the next development phase of its Future Interceptor program.
Testing of PAC-3 Edge will begin in 2027 with rapid deployment targeted for 2031.
The Army awarded Lockheed Martin a contract up to $58.6 billion to raise PAC-3 production to 2,000 units annually.
The interceptor uses a seeker from Lockheed’s Strigo Product Center (funded by $250 million) and a Northrop Grumman multi-pulse rocket motor.

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