Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) announced plans on 14 October 2026 to create 6,000 jobs across the United States, including 2,000 in Texas, as the company expands advanced manufacturing capacity to accelerate production of critical munitions. At the centre of that growth is Lockheed Martin’s Grand Prairie operation, where the company is investing $300 million and expanding its manufacturing footprint to more than 735,000 square feet, including 100,000 square feet of new space and 85,000 square feet of office space being converted for advanced manufacturing, automation, digital manufacturing and high-precision machining.

Lockheed Martin also announced that Hadrian will bring a highly automated 24-machine cell to the Grand Prairie facility, expected to be operational in early 2027 and operated by the existing Lockheed Martin production workforce, adding dedicated capacity for critical defence components.

THE BIG PICTURE

Lockheed Martin said it is building a manufacturing model designed for speed, scale and sustained production, combining defence and commercial manufacturing practices into a more resilient, automated and digitally integrated model. The new Hadrian cell follows the company’s recently announced collaboration with GM Defense to apply commercial automotive manufacturing expertise to defence production.

“This expansion is more than just a new facility; it is a stronger supply chain and a more resilient industrial base,” said Michael P. Duffey, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment. “Today in Grand Prairie, American industry is answering the call to support our warfighters.”

“Lockheed Martin has brought together commercial speed and combat-proven performance because America needs both,” said Jim Taiclet, chairman, president and CEO of Lockheed Martin. “By combining advanced technology with the expertise of our American workforce, we’re transforming manufacturing to deliver critical munitions at speed and scale.”

“The warfighter can’t wait on peacetime timelines. Hadrian is bringing the automation, software and workforce training from our own factories directly inside Lockheed Martin, so we can produce more, faster. Rebuilding the Arsenal of Freedom at the scale America needs will take partnerships that combine expertise and speed, and this is what that looks like,” said Chris Power, CEO of Hadrian.

WHY IT MATTERS

Lockheed Martin’s Grand Prairie facility supports all of the company’s Missiles and Fire Control programmes, including PAC-3 MSE, THAAD, PrSM and JATM, and the expansion is intended to help Grand Prairie reach record production levels while delivering components to final-assembly sites in Camden, Arkansas, and Troy, Alabama. The $300 million investment forms part of a broader commitment to invest 8 to 9 billion dollars through 2030 to scale munitions production and modernise or expand more than 20 facilities across the United States. The company said it is working with Department of War leadership to apply commercially inspired contracting approaches through agreements for PAC-3 MSE, THAAD, PrSM and JATM, intended to provide greater predictability to invest in people, equipment and supply chains while accelerating production.

ADDITIONAL CONTEXT

Lockheed Martin said the Grand Prairie facility is already home to hundreds of critical machining and advanced manufacturing assets; in just a few months the company has transformed former office space into advanced manufacturing areas and installed more than 30 additional high-precision machines, now producing thousands of critical components each week, with nearly 100 new advanced machines expected to be added across the facility by the end of 2026. Nearly 800 production employees currently work at the facility, which manufactured 250,000 parts in 2025. The Hadrian announcement follows a seven-year agreement the two companies signed in 2025.