Lockheed Unveils New Patriot For US Army Air Defense Contest

Lockheed Martin Corp. unveiled a new missile interceptor designed to outperform its most capable Patriot variant, as the US Army seeks to expand its air defense capabilities against increasingly sophisticated threats like hypersonic missiles.

The interceptor, called PAC-3 Edge, is competing in the Army’s Future Interceptor program and builds on Lockheed’s Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement, or PAC-3 MSE, which has been used extensively to defend against missile attacks in Ukraine and Iran.

The Army has selected Lockheed Martin to advance to the next stage of the missile’s development, with testing expected to begin in 2027 and potential deployment in 2031, Tim Cahill, Lockheed Martin’s president of Missiles and Fire Control, said in an interview.