Leidos is preparing to scale production of thousands of cruise missiles by coordinating suppliers across 14 US states, supporting a Pentagon push to expand long-range strike capacity.
The contractor brought together missile-component suppliers at its headquarters to align manufacturing capacity, requirements, timelines, and delivery schedules for its Low-Cost Containerized Missile (LCCM) and AGM-190A Havoc Spear.
The effort supports a May 13 framework agreement with the Department of Defense for an initial 3,000 LCCM weapons. Leidos is also preparing to increase production of the Havoc Spear, with initial deliveries to Air Force Special Operations Command already underway.
Production work will be concentrated in Huntsville, Alabama, and McEwen, Tennessee. The first LCCM missiles are expected to be delivered in 2027 for testing and evaluation, with full-rate production planned for 2028 and 2029.
“The nationwide Leidos cruise missile supply chain team is putting in place the robust plans and resources that’ll allow us to quickly scale cruise missile production,” Leidos Defense President Cindy Gruensfelder said.
US Expands Cruise Missile Production
Leidos’ plans come as the US works to increase output of several long-range cruise missile systems, including established weapons and lower-cost designs.
In August, RTX’s Raytheon received a seven-year, $22.9-billion contract to accelerate production of Tomahawk cruise missiles for the US Navy. The agreement follows framework deals with the Pentagon aimed at raising annual Tomahawk output to more than 1,000 missiles.
The air force is also planning a larger procurement of its Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile and Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile. The service’s July notice outlined plans to acquire up to 16,450 missiles across the two programs over the next several years, with Lockheed Martin producing both systems.
Separately, in July, Pentagon announced framework agreements with Anduril, CoAspire, and Zone 5 Technologies to advance low-cost air-launched cruise missiles under the Family of Affordable Mass Missiles program.
