Lockheed Martin announced plans to field a new, cheaper Patriot missile that can be delivered faster than its current high‑cost model. The company says its PAC‑3 Adapted Capability Effector can be produced more quickly and will cost less than half the price of the best‑selling Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) version, which recent Army budget documents show cost $4 million per round. The new design is intended to counter a range of threats, from cruise missiles to “close‑range and short‑range ballistic missiles,” though it did not specify performance against the longer‑range ballistic weapons that Russia has launched at Ukraine. Lockheed Martin and RTX, which builds the Patriot launcher, have pledged to meet White House calls to triple or quadruple output of high‑tech missiles in the coming years.

Yet military officials stress the need for low‑cost, mid‑range defenses that can be fielded in months instead of years, filling gaps in current stockpiles that are running low. This move aims to keep U.S. forces equipped while reducing procurement costs and accelerating deployment.