Photo: Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin plans a $420 million expansion of its manufacturing operations in Camden, Arkansas, with 650 new full-time jobs expected over five years, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission announced Monday.
The investment will increase production capacity for PAC-3, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense and Precision Strike Missile platforms, according to the state’s announcement. The hiring figure is a planned addition over that period, not a count of employees already hired.
Camden already employs approximately 1,100 Lockheed Martin workers, the commission said. The new commitment expands an established missile and rocket manufacturing base rather than creating an entirely new company presence in South Arkansas.
Missile capacity and manufacturing jobs
Adam Bailey, Lockheed Martin’s Camden site general manager, said the investment would accelerate production, advance manufacturing methods and add jobs. He described the project as part of the company’s effort to deliver defense capabilities faster.
The Camden operation dates to 1979. According to the state, its 2.2-million-square-foot facility occupies 2,427 acres in Highland Industrial Park and produces seven U.S. defense programs, including PAC-3, THAAD, PrSM, ATACMS, GMLRS, HIMARS and M270.
The state said the site has delivered more than 700,000 missiles and rockets over four decades. The new spending will deepen its technical capabilities as well as its production footprint.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders welcomed the expansion as a boost to Arkansas’ defense manufacturing base and regional employment. Local development officials likewise said the company’s commitment would have a long-term effect on the Calhoun and Ouachita County area.
Separate from January’s THAAD agreement
Monday’s $420 million announcement follows earlier capacity-building work in Camden. In January, Lockheed Martin broke ground on a Munitions Acceleration Center after a separate agreement to increase annual THAAD interceptor production capacity from 96 to 400, the commission said.
Those THAAD capacity targets belong to the earlier agreement. They should not be read as newly announced output commitments tied solely to Monday’s $420 million project.
The acceleration center is intended to prepare workers to build THAAD, PAC-3 and other systems using robotics, digital technologies and advanced manufacturing methods. The latest investment adds to that broader effort to expand the site’s workforce and production capabilities.
Lockheed Martin expects to hire for a range of roles as the expansion proceeds. The state’s announcement did not provide a detailed year-by-year hiring schedule or describe all of the facilities to be built with the new capital spending.
JBizNews Desk | Camden, Arkansas
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