Lockheed Martin to invest $420 million, add 650 jobs at Camden missile plant

CAMDEN — Lockheed Martin will spend $420 million to expand its missile plant in Camden and expects to add 650 full-time jobs over the next five years, the company and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission announced Monday.

The expansion will raise production capacity in Camden for three missile programs: the PAC-3 Patriot interceptor, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptor, known as THAAD, and the Army’s Precision Strike Missile, or PrSM.

“Lockheed Martin is investing at unprecedented speed and scale to expand manufacturing capacity and deliver the critical capabilities our warfighters need, faster,” said Adam Bailey, the Camden site general manager. “For more than four decades, Camden has played a vital role in strengthening our nation’s defense, and this investment marks another significant step in accelerating production, advancing next-generation manufacturing and creating 650 new jobs.”

Lockheed has about 1,100 employees in Camden, according to the announcement. The 650 figure matches the growth the company described in July, when the Army turned its PAC-3 contract into a seven-year deal worth $58.62 billion and Lockheed said it would take its Camden workforce from about 1,200 to 1,850, as ABN reported in August. Monday’s announcement did not say whether the new jobs are part of that plan or come on top of it, and it did not say what state incentives are involved.

“Industry is growing all across Arkansas, but there’s no place seeing faster growth for a better purpose than Camden as it helps rebuild America’s defense industrial base,” Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. “Lockheed Martin is relying on South Arkansas to supply American warfighters and our allies all across the world, and Arkansans are answering the call.”

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Seven programs, 700,000 missiles

Lockheed Martin Camden Operations opened in 1979 in the Highland Industrial Park east of Camden. The plant covers 2.2 million square feet on 2,427 acres and builds seven programs for the Department of War: PAC-3, THAAD, PrSM, the Army Tactical Missile System, the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, and the HIMARS and M270 rocket launchers. It has delivered more than 700,000 missiles and rockets, the company said.

Camden is the only plant in the world that finishes PAC-3 interceptors, and the Iran war has drained U.S. Patriot stocks. Tim Cahill, who heads Lockheed’s missile division, told CBS in September that the company plans to raise Camden’s Patriot output from 750 a year to 2,000 by adding shifts and automating more of the line.

In January, Lockheed broke ground on a Munitions Acceleration Center in Camden after agreeing with the Department of War to quadruple THAAD interceptor production, from 96 a year to 400. The company said the center will train workers to build THAAD, PAC-3 and other missiles using advanced manufacturing, robotics and digital technology.

“For decades, Lockheed Martin has grown in Arkansas, and they are still growing as a result of our experienced workforce, strong business environment, and a supportive community,” said Clint O’Neal, executive director of the AEDC. “This is a win for Lockheed Martin, the State of Arkansas, and the Camden area, that will have a major impact for many years to come.”

The Camden workforce has grown since 2019, when Lockheed announced a $142 million expansion there that was to add 326 jobs to a staff of about 650.

“Lockheed’s continued commitment to the local facilities and the state of Arkansas is a game changer for the Calhoun and Ouachita County area’s economy and their confidence in our workforce is appreciated,” said James Lee Silliman, executive director of the Ouachita Partnership for Economic Development.

A busy fall in Camden

Monday’s announcement is the latest in a string of defense news from the Highland Industrial Park. L3Harris opened a new solid rocket motor plant there Oct. 20, and R2S, a Raytheon-Rafael joint venture, delivered the first Iron Dome interceptors ever built in the United States from its East Camden plant Oct. 7. Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle toured Pine Bluff Arsenal, Walmart and University of Arkansas labs last week.

Lockheed said it will hire for a range of positions. Openings are posted on the company’s Camden careers page.