Lockheed Martin to Expand Camden, Arkansas Plant: $420 Million Investment to Add 650 Jobs Over Five Years
The defense production hub in Camden, Ouachita County, Arkansas, is set to grow. The Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) announced on November 2 that Lockheed Martin will invest $420 million to expand its Camden manufacturing operations, creating an expected 650 new full-time jobs over five years.
The expansion will increase production capacity for the Patriot PAC-3, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system and the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM). Established in 1979, Lockheed Martin's Camden operations employ about 1,100 people and produce seven U.S. Department of War programs: PAC-3, THAAD, PrSM, ATACMS, GMLRS, HIMARS and the M270.
In January 2026, the company broke ground on a Munitions Acceleration Center in Camden under an agreement with the Department of War to quadruple annual THAAD interceptor production from 96 to 400.
"Lockheed Martin is investing at unprecedented speed and scale to expand manufacturing capacity," said Adam Bailey, the company's Camden site general manager, thanking Governor Sarah Sanders and the AEDC for their continued support. AEDC Executive Director Clint O'Neal said Camden is globally recognized as a key defense manufacturing hub, and credited Arkansas's experienced workforce, strong business environment and supportive community for Lockheed Martin's decades of growth in the state.
(Source: Arkansas Economic Development Commission)
Source: Arkansas Economic Development Commission
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：「爱国者」防空导弹系统发射车，Camden 工厂生产其 PAC-3 拦截弹。照片：美国陆军，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: A Patriot air defense launcher; the Camden plant produces its PAC-3 interceptors. Photo: U.S. Army, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
