Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $694 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for production of the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW).
“The ARRW production contract award showcases Lockheed Martin’s ability to develop and begin production on cutting-edge systems at unprecedented speed and scale,” said Tim Cahill, president, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “ARRW expands our weapon systems portfolio and launches a critical, high-precision, and sustained hypersonic capability that will enhance the U.S. Air Force’s strategic advantage across multiple domains.”
The ARRW are integrated on the B-52, are designed to travel at speeds greater than Mach 5 and to operate in extreme environments.
Lockheed Martin also broke ground Tuesday on the $67 million expansion of Building P-20 in Troy, adding 47,000 square feet of production space for ARRW. The expansion will triple the current facility’s production space. In addition, the company, which already employs almost 4,000 Alabamians, will add jobs over the next four years.
The company has already funded the materials and equipment required to start ARRW’s production, a move, it says, shows its support for the U.S. National Defense Strategy.
Lockheed Martin already manufactures Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) and Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) in Troy.
