General Motors’ headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, seen in July 2024. GM originally spun off its defense business in 2003, but has re-established it. (Shutterstock/Jonathan Weiss)
Is General Motors Entering the Missile Business?
General Motors appears to be on the cusp of partnering with Lockheed Martin to develop missile parts.
The largest American automaker and the world’s largest defense contractor are now in partnership talks. It has been speculated that General Motors could become a supplier of “commonly used parts that could help” Lockheed Martin “bolster munitions production,” according to The Wall Street Journal.
An agreement has yet to be reached between the two giants of their respective industries, and the “contours of the arrangement” could still change. Still, the goal of the collaboration between General Motors’ military subsidiary GM Defense and Lockheed Martin would be to triple or even quadruple production of certain weapons systems, chiefly advanced missiles.
GM Defense is headquartered in Washington, DC, while Lockheed Martin’s HQ is in nearby Bethesda, Maryland.
GM-Lockheed Deal Could Increase Missile and Ordnance Production
US stockpiles of air defense ordnance have been significantly diminished in recent years, as Washington sought to supply Ukraine with the weapons to defend against Russian missiles and drones in the ongoing war. The conflict in Iran further depleted those stockpiles, and Lockheed Martin and other defense firms have warned that it could take years or longer to replenish the arsenal.
As reported this week, Lockheed Martin warned key US allies and partners that it couldn’t guarantee its delivery timelines for its Patriot PAC-3 interceptor missiles. The warnings come even as the company had already announced it was making massive investments to increase its annual production of PAC-3 missiles from approximately 650 per year in 2025 to 2,000 annually by 2030.
In April, the US government awarded Lockheed Martin a $4.76 billion contract to produce and deliver the PAC-3 to replenish the US military’s stockpiles. However, the primary issue remains that it can take more than two years to construct each missile.
It was also in April that the Trump administration initiated the “Arsenal of Freedom” program, which called for aggressively rebuilding the US defense industrial base. The goal of that effort isn’t just to produce more missiles, but to create a pipeline of suppliers and contractors that can rearm the US military. The effort, championed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, calls for rapid innovation and manufacturing by eliminating bureaucratic processes.
The US auto industry, which has formed the backbone of America’s industrial strength for roughly a century and helped the United States bury Nazi Germany in tanks and aircraft during World War II, was almost certain to be central to the Arsenal of Freedom project. General Motors oversees a vast network of supply chains related to its automobiles, making it a logical fit for American defense needs as well.
General Motors Was Already Focused on Defense
More than 20 years ago, in 2003, General Dynamics Land Systems—which was historically unrelated to GM—purchased the Detroit automaker’s GM Defense business for $1.1 billion, effectively marking the end of the carmaking giant’s foray into defense contracting.
In 2017, General Motors re-entered the military sector and relaunched its GM Defense division. In the past nine years, GM Defense and General Dynamics Land Systems have actively teamed up to collaborate on major defense projects, including the US Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) competition.
There has been speculation that GM Defense, which remains one of the company’s newest but also fastest-growing business units, could build vehicles for the US military again. Now it could also help Lockheed Martin by building critical components for the aerospace and defense firm.
“What makes this moment especially important is that the country needs more than great technology. It also needs the capacity to build, scale and deliver reliably,” Brown said on a call with reporters from CNBC. “This is where GM can help. Across our company, we bring deep experience in advanced engineering, digital development, supply chain discipline and manufacturing at scale.”
Lockheed Martin hasn’t indicated exactly what projects could involve GM Defense, but officials at the aerospace firm said it could help allow for growth.
“Together, we will explore opportunities across three important areas: improving production readiness and scalable manufacturing environments; strengthening supply chains and identifying ways to increase resilience; and applying advanced manufacturing and design approaches [that] can help improve efficiency and accelerate delivery,” explained Lockheed Martin Chief Operating Officer Frank St. John.
The defense giant is already investing upwards of $9 billion to invest in 20 of its facilities and supply bases, St. John told reporters, adding that the efforts will continue through 2030. Likewise, GM is investing as much as $7 billion in research and development.
“America is stronger when two companies with deep manufacturing roots come together to help expand speed, scale and resilience in the defense industrial base,” Brown said. “That is why Lockheed Martin and GM are announcing this collaboration.”
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.
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