Lockheed Martin and GM Defense to explore manufacturing collaboration aimed at strengthening U.S. defense industrial base
Lockheed Martin and GM Defense have announced a new collaboration to strengthen the U.S. manufacturing and defense industrial base. The effort was facilitated by the U.S. Department of War.
The companies will work under a memorandum of understanding. They will explore opportunities to accelerate the delivery of critical capabilities and innovation.
The collaboration is intended to combine Lockheed Martin’s defense production expertise with General Motors’ industrial capabilities. GM brings experience in high-rate commercial manufacturing and engineering.
The companies said the work will focus on strengthening defense supply chains. It will also cover manufacturing and design capabilities, as well as potential production capacity expansion through commercial manufacturing expertise and infrastructure.
Initial efforts will include exploring ways to accelerate production readiness. The companies will also assess how proven commercial manufacturing approaches could support defense production requirements.
“America’s security depends not only on developing advanced technologies, but on our ability to produce them quickly, reliably and at scale,” said Frank St. John, chief operating officer, Lockheed Martin. “This collaboration brings together two leaders in American manufacturing and innovation to explore new ways to strengthen the defense industrial base, expand production capacity and accelerate delivery of critical capabilities for the United States and its allies.”
“Working together, GM Defense and Lockheed will further strengthen American manufacturing and national defense by driving greater speed, efficiency, and innovation in the aerospace and defense sectors,” said Steve duMont, president of GM Defense. “Over the coming weeks, we will be working to identify initial projects to pursue together.”
The companies said the collaboration reflects growing demand across the defense sector. They identified production capacity, supply chain resilience and manufacturing agility as key areas of need.
By combining commercial and defense expertise, Lockheed Martin and GM Defense aim to identify opportunities to accelerate production timelines. The companies said any such work would need to maintain the quality, performance and reliability standards required for mission-critical systems.
