Lockheed Martin and GM Defense have announced a new collaboration aimed at strengthening the United States’ manufacturing and defence industrial base.
The partnership, facilitated by the U.S. Department of War, will see the two companies explore opportunities to accelerate the delivery of critical defence capabilities by combining Lockheed Martin’s defence production expertise with General Motors’ high-volume commercial manufacturing and engineering capabilities.
Working under a memorandum of understanding (MOU), the collaboration will focus on three key areas: strengthening defence supply chains, advancing manufacturing and design capabilities, and evaluating opportunities to expand production capacity through commercial manufacturing expertise and infrastructure.
Initial efforts will explore how proven commercial manufacturing approaches can be applied to defence production programmes, helping to improve production readiness and increase output while maintaining the quality and reliability standards required for mission-critical systems.
Frank St. John, chief operating officer at Lockheed Martin, said the partnership reflects the growing importance of manufacturing capacity in maintaining national security.
“America’s security depends not only on developing advanced technologies, but on our ability to produce them quickly, reliably and at scale,” he said.
“This collaboration brings together two leaders in American manufacturing and innovation to explore new ways to strengthen the defence industrial base, expand production capacity and accelerate delivery of critical capabilities for the United States and its allies.”
Steve duMont, president of GM Defense, said the agreement would help drive greater efficiency and innovation across the aerospace and defence sectors.
“Working together, GM Defense and Lockheed will further strengthen American manufacturing and national defence by driving greater speed, efficiency and innovation in the aerospace and defence sectors,” he said.
“Over the coming weeks, we will be working to identify initial projects to pursue together.”
The announcement comes amid increasing demand across the defence sector for greater production capacity, supply chain resilience and manufacturing agility. By combining commercial and defence manufacturing expertise, the companies aim to identify opportunities to shorten production timelines and strengthen industrial capabilities while supporting evolving defence requirements.
