Miles Jamison 
- Lockheed Martin is investing in a modular hypersonic weapons concept designed for multiple mission types
- The Modular Payload Delivery System aims to support faster and more flexible capability development
- The company has also partnered with Albany Engineered Composites to strengthen production readiness
Lockheed Martin has announced a multimillion-dollar investment in a Modular Payload Delivery System, or MPDS, and entered into a teaming agreement with Albany Engineered Composites as it seeks to advance hypersonic capabilities and manufacturing capacity for future defense programs.
What Is Lockheed Martin’s Modular Payload Delivery System?
MPDS is designed to adapt existing hypersonic missile body technologies toward a modular weapons systems family that can serve offensive and defensive mission roles, the company said Tuesday.
Under this architecture, the Department of War and industry partners would be capable of integrating different payloads without significantly disrupting the underlying system, according to the company. That approach is intended to enable long-range strike missions, larger payload configurations and missile defense applications, cutting down the time and cost of developing new capabilities.
Johnathon Caldwell, vice president and general manager of strategic and missile defense systems at Lockheed Martin, said the investment reflects customer demand for capabilities that can be adapted to evolving mission requirements.
The MPDS investment builds on a broader buildout of Lockheed Martin’s hypersonics portfolio over the past year. In December 2025, the company opened the Hypersonics System Integration Lab in Alabama, following a $17.1 million investment intended to accelerate hypersonic technology development, testing and integration. Three months earlier, Lockheed received a $1.35 billion contract modification to provide engineering, testing and production support for the Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike program, which seeks to field long-range hypersonic weapons aboard Zumwalt-class destroyers and Virginia-class submarines.
Why Did Lockheed Martin Team With Albany Engineered Composites?
A day earlier, Lockheed Martin and Albany Engineered Composites unveiled a partnership focused on future full-rate production opportunities for hypersonic weapons programs. Under the agreement, Lockheed Martin’s engineering and systems integration expertise would be paired with Albany’s composite manufacturing capabilities. The companies structured the deal to accommodate shifting program requirements and government priorities.
Chris Stone, president of Albany Engineered Composites, said the partnership delivers a low-risk solution with the speed and quality the Department of War requires.
