A Maryland-based company is advancing production of its interceptor weapon through automation. Lockheed Martin is streamlining production of QuadStar missiles.
In parallel with the agile final assembly line, Lockheed Martin set up its own automation cell that runs side by side during every tactical build. This builds early insights, provides real-time feedback to our engineers, and continually refines the assembly sequence.
Digital twin of QuadStar rocket production
This effort automates tasks and creates a living, data-rich “digital twin” of the QuadStar rocket production process. The result is a feedback loop that improves producibility at the time of manufacture rather than after the fact.
By using advanced manufacturing investments and strategic supplier selection, the team reduces the unit cost of each QuadStar rocket while accelerating delivery times. According to a press release, this cost-performance advantage is Lockheed Martin’s differentiator in a competitive procurement environment.
The Camden factory sets industry standards
Production of the QuadStar at the Camden facility sets an industry standard for high-performance ammunition manufacturing. Leveraging lessons learned from programs such as the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE) and the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS), the Next-Generation Short-Range Interceptor (NGSRI) team can leverage a production philosophy that is both aggressive and disciplined.
Lockheed Martin engineers, production managers and supply chain partners work together under the manufacturability first principle, ensuring that every new component passes rigorous manufacturability testing before it reaches the production line.
The NGSRI program uses automation as an integrated mechanism to improve manufacturing readiness and production efficiency. The dedicated automation cell works in parallel with the assembly process, allowing the team to collect real-time feedback and continually improve manufacturing processes.
The company’s approach, described as “Born Digital, Born Automated,” reflects a broader shift toward developing manufacturing capabilities alongside the product itself, rather than introducing automation after production has already begun.
These efforts have helped identify production bottlenecks, reduce rework and reduce staffing needs. The company also reports that this approach is expected to shorten the initial production flow to nearly half the time of traditional processes.
Incorporating automation from the start also provides manufacturers with greater insight into production performance and allows them to address inefficiencies before they become major operational challenges.
The use of digital manufacturing tools allows the team to evaluate different production scenarios and identify potential limitations in advance. This future-oriented approach is intended to ensure that production capacities can be expanded without putting unnecessary pressure on existing production activities.
The underlying principle is that scalability of production should be incorporated into program planning from the outset and should not be treated as a challenge to be addressed as demand increases.
The “Born Digital, Born Automated” plan shows that the future competitiveness of defense manufacturers depends not only on the sophistication of the systems they develop, but also on the efficiency, flexibility and resilience of the industrial infrastructure behind them.
