Lockheed Martin launches Dallas supplier series for 150 munitions firms

Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Department of War launched a new supplier conference series in Dallas this week, drawing more than 150 suppliers to the inaugural Munitions Acceleration Supplier Conference. The company said the effort is meant to speed munitions production while keeping manufacturing scalable.

The first gathering brought together suppliers tied to the PAC-3 MSE, THAAD and Precision Strike Missile programmes. Company executives and Department of War officials discussed faster production and larger industrial scale, with the monthly series set to alternate between in-person and virtual meetings.

Lockheed Martin Dallas conference

Lockheed Martin said the programme is designed to improve coordination across the defence industrial base and to identify ways to deliver munitions more rapidly. The company also said it plans to invest between $8 billion and $9 billion through 2030 to expand production capacity.

That money is already being used to scale munitions manufacturing, modernise or build more than 20 facilities across the United States, and strengthen supply-chain resilience. Lockheed Martin said one investment priority is developing additional second-source suppliers for critical components, a step aimed at reducing dependence on any single source for parts.

March 31 Cameri visit

The Dallas launch follows a March 31 senior-level visit to the Cameri Trivalent Industrial Hub in Italy hosted by the Italian Ministry of Defence and F-35 industry partners Lockheed Martin and Leonardo. Together, the two events point to a broader push to widen industrial participation around major defence programs.

The company’s conference series gives suppliers a regular forum to hear how production targets are changing and where new capacity is needed. For firms already tied to missile and strike programmes, the immediate task is matching that demand with faster throughput, additional sourcing and fewer production bottlenecks.