HUNTSVILLE, AL. - Boeing has been awarded a combination of multiyear contracts valued at approximately $2.7 billion to produce additional Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) seekers. Under the agreements, Boeing will deliver more than 3,000 seekers at rates of up to 750 units per year through 2030.

Boeing is working closely with prime contractor Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Army to further increase production rates and meet new targets for the PAC-3 interceptor. Scaling seeker output is critical to ensuring the Patriot system can continue to defend service members, civilians and critical infrastructure worldwide as threats proliferate.

"Our team has never been better positioned to answer the nation's call for greater air and missile defense," said Jim Bryan, executive director of Boeing Integrated Air & Missile Defense. "These multiyear awards recognize the progress we've made and will allow us to meet growing global demand for the PAC-3 seeker."

Boeing-built PAC-3 seekers enable Patriot interceptors to identify, track and defeat advanced threats, including hypersonic threats, hostile aircraft, and ballistic and cruise missiles. Demand for PAC-3 interceptors has grown in response to recent conflicts and rapidly changing threat environments in Ukraine, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific.

In 2025, the company set new monthly and 12-month rolling average production records and is targeting delivery of a record 650 to 700 seekers by year's end. Years of internal investment, modernization of production lines, strengthened supplier partnerships and the completion of a new 35,000-square-foot factory expansion have increased Boeing's production capacity.

Since 2000, Boeing has delivered more than 6,000 increasingly sophisticated PAC-3 seekers to the U.S. Army as a Lockheed Martin subcontractor from its Huntsville, Alabama facilities. Seventeen countries, including the United States, rely on PAC-3 interceptors to protect people and critical infrastructure around the globe.

Source: Boeing
Associated URL: https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2025-10-14-Boeing-Awarded-Approximately-2-7-Billion-in-Multiyear-Contracts-for-PAC-3-Seeker-Production

STOCKHOLM - Saab has received an order from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) regarding continued conceptual studies for future fighter systems. The order value amounts to approximately SEK 2.6 billion ($272.2 million). The contract period is 2025-2027.

The order includes conceptual studies of manned and unmanned solutions in a system of systems perspective, and technology development and demonstrators. Saab will continue to collaborate closely with FMV, the Swedish Armed Forces, the Swedish Defence Research Agency, GKN Aerospace and other industry partners. The order is an extension and expansion of the original contract signed in March 2024.

"This order sets the next step on our joint journey in delivering innovative solutions to meet future operational needs of the Swedish Armed Forces and other customers," says Lars Tossman, head of Saab business area Aeronautics.

Source: Saab

WASHINGTON - The Senate passed its version of the annual defense policy bill late Thursday with a 70-20 vote, authorizing $924.7 billion for the military in fiscal year 2026. That figure comprises $878.7 billion for the Pentagon, $35.2 billion for the Department of Energy, and $10.8 billion for other defense-related activities.

The legislation, known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), had been stalled for weeks over disagreements on amendments until leaders brokered a deal to advance the bill. The passage clears the way for lawmakers to begin negotiations with the House, which passed its own version of the bill last month with a lower top line of nearly $893 billion.

The House bill was marked up in line with the administration's topline national security request, while the Senate proposal would add around $31 billion to the defense budget in FY26.

The breakthrough came after Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker secured an agreement to hold votes on a series of amendments. Among those that passed was a bipartisan proposal from Senators Tom Cotton and Kirsten Gillibrand to grant the Pentagon additional authorities to counter drone threats over military installations. Another successful amendment, offered by Senator Tim Kaine, would repeal the 2002 and 1991 Authorizations for Use of Military Force for the wars in Iraq.

However, several partisan amendments failed to pass. One proposal from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sought to block taxpayer funds from being used to retrofit a luxury Qatari jet intended as a replacement for Air Force One. Another defeated amendment, from Senator Chris Van Hollen, would have prevented National Guard troops from being deployed to another state if that state’s governor or mayor objected to their presence.

The NDAA only authorizes funding levels, and lawmakers use a separate appropriations process to actually provide funding for government agencies. That process is currently in limbo due to the government shutdown. Even if a final NDAA is negotiated and passed, the Pentagon will be left without funding until Congress moves on a continuing resolution or finalizes an FY26 defense appropriations bill.

Source: Forecast International
Associated URL: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5548582-senate-passes-defense-bill/