The U.S. military is taking a concrete step toward reducing single-supplier vulnerability in its air defense supply chain★. Northrop Grumman has secured a $3 billion framework agreement to stand up production of solid rocket motors for the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems, according to Breaking Defense.
The deal positions Northrop as a second supplier for motors that power two of the Pentagon's most strategically significant missile defense platforms★.
★ AI inference: One or more analytical conclusions in this article were drawn by the AI from cited facts and are not directly stated in the cited sources.