GM delivers first components for US interceptor missiles

General Motors has delivered its first components for Lockheed Martin interceptor missiles on an expedited basis to meet US needs, Lockheed Martin announced Thursday.

GM, which has targeted defense as an area of revenue growth, is providing precision castings to house the weapon for PAC-3, described by Lockheed as the "world's most advanced air defense missile."

GM worked with the Pentagon in World War II, but the deliveries are the first for missiles in modern times, according to a GM spokesman.

Lockheed's press release touted the speedy GM deliveries as evidence it is moving with "wartime urgency" for the Pentagon, which has faced questions about the inventory of military supplies due to the Iran war.

Lockheed and GM signed a formal contract agreement August 6 and the first batch of PAC-3 components was delivered August 28, Lockheed said.

"This extraordinary 22?day turnaround underscores Lockheed Martin's relentless focus on execution -- delivering for our troops faster, with greater capacity," said Tim Cahill, president of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.

"Our partnership with GM Defense is a concrete example of how we're merging world-class commercial manufacturing with defense supply chain and production practices and rapidly translating that into battlefield readiness for the United States."

A GM spokesman said PAC-3 production is ongoing.

In July, GM Chief Executive Mary Barra said the company expected defense revenues of $700 million in 2026, describing the venture as a way to "improve margins and become less cyclical."

The United States is facing a shortfall in ammunition as a result of its war against Iran, according to report this week from the Department of Defense's Inspector general that noted "strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply."

President Donald Trump has repeatedly brushed off concerns of depleted weapons stores during the six months of war in the Middle East, saying recently that the US has "virtually unlimited" ammunition.