# Defense Contractors Expand Missile Production

The article argues that U.S. defense procurement and weapons design should make greater use of scalable domestic manufacturing. It cites General Motors producing Patriot missile housing components under an arrangement with Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon–Lockheed Martin joint-venture production of Javelin missiles, which has nearly doubled over the previous two years. The examples highlight industrial capacity and commercial manufacturing as potential contributors to defense supply-chain resilience; the article does not identify a new solicitation, contract value, or procurement contact.

- Defense contractors and suppliers can assess whether commercial manufacturing capacity and simpler, lower-cost designs could support production scale and supply-chain resilience in their portfolios.
- The Patriot and Javelin examples show how established automotive and defense manufacturers may contribute to missile-component and weapons production; firms should evaluate relevant production capabilities and potential supplier roles.
- No specific solicitation, award value, or response deadline is provided, so the signal points to a manufacturing and acquisition trend rather than an immediate bid opportunity.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military
**Published:** October 16, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)

### Vendors
- Lockheed Martin (Missile contractor and participant in Patriot component production and Javelin missile production)
- General Motors (Supplier producing housing components for Patriot missiles under an arrangement with Lockheed Martin)
- Raytheon (Joint-venture participant in Javelin missile production)

### Sources
- [Rethink the Supply Chain ](https://townhall.com/columnists/erickerickson/2026/10/16/rethink-the-supply-chain-n2684729) - Townhall