Kristen Smith 
- A 24-machine cell is expected to be operational in early 2027
- Lockheed Martin workers will run the Hadrian-supplied equipment
- Grand Prairie supports PAC-3 MSE, THAAD, PrSM and JATM
Lockheed Martin will install a 24-machine automated machining cell from Hadrian inside its Grand Prairie munitions plant in Texas.
The cell is expected to be operational in early 2027, Lockheed Martin said Tuesday, adding that the machine will be operated by its production workers. It will arrive as part of a $300 million expansion that will grow the site to more than 735,000 square feet, converting 85,000 square feet of former office space into manufacturing capacity and adding 100,000 square feet of new space. Lockheed expects the expansion to create 6,000 jobs nationwide, including 2,000 in Texas.
What Does Hadrian Bring to the Partnership With Lockheed?
Hadrian is building highly automated factories combining process engineering, artificial intelligence and robotics. The company raised $1.37 billion in August at a $7.87 billion valuation; opened a Navy-funded facility in Cherokee, Alabama, to make Virginia-class and Columbia-class submarine components; and won an Army contract to establish advanced manufacturing at Red River Army Depot in Texas.
Chris Power, CEO of Hadrian, said the company is bringing automation, software and workforce training from its own factories into Lockheed to raise output. The two signed a seven-year agreement in 2025.
The arrangement follows a separate Lockheed collaboration with GM Defense that involves applying commercial automotive manufacturing methods to defense production.
What Does Grand Prairie Produce?
The Grand Prairie site supports all Lockheed missiles and fire control programs, including the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, Precision Strike Missile and the Joint Advanced Tactical Missile. It ships components to facilities in Camden, Arkansas, and Troy, Alabama, among other locations, for final assembly.
Nearly 800 production employees work at Grand Prairie. Having installed more than 30 high-precision machines within a few months, the company projects integrating approximately 100 more across the facility by the close of 2026.
The Grand Prairie initiative falls under an $8 billion to $9 billion capital investment plan running through 2030, designed to expand domestic munitions output and modernize over 20 production sites nationwide.
Lockheed has signed framework agreements with the Department of War covering the four programs the site supports. Jim Taiclet, chairman, president and CEO at Lockheed, said in April that the agreements will enable expanding production output to three to four times current levels.
Taiclet is a two-time Wash100 awardee.
