Lockheed Martin has announced a $420 million capital investment in its Camden, Arkansas manufacturing operations, which is expected to create 650 new full-time jobs over five years. The expansion, revealed on November 2, 2026, will increase production capacity for the PAC-3, THAAD and Precision Strike Missile platforms at the Highland Industrial Park site.
Announcing the project, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission described it as a major increase in the company’s Arkansas operations. Camden Operations currently employs about 1,100 people for Lockheed Martin, so the 650 new positions would raise site headcount by more than half. In addition, the announcement did not name construction contractors, give a build schedule or state the value of any state incentives.
Workforce supply is also central elsewhere in Arkansas, where Amazon cited it as a key driver for its logistics hub at the Port of Little Rock. That cross-dock facility, known as LIT3 and valued at $151 million on a city building permit, is scheduled to open in 2027 with more than 1,000 jobs. Meanwhile, Amazon’s neighboring LIT1 fulfillment center has been closed since October 22, 2025 over structural design errors, and local press reports say redesign plans were submitted in July 2026.
Lockheed Martin Camden Expansion Lifts Output of Three Missile Platforms
The Lockheed Martin Camden expansion focuses on the PAC-3 interceptor, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system and the Precision Strike Missile. Camden Operations also builds ATACMS, GMLRS, HIMARS and the M270 launcher, which brings the site to seven Department of War programs.
Camden Operations was established in 1979 and has delivered more than 700,000 missiles and rockets over four decades, according to the company. Furthermore, the 2.2-million-square-foot facility sits on 2,427 acres, and its floor area equals about 38 football fields.
Camden site general manager Adam Bailey said Lockheed Martin is investing “at unprecedented speed and scale” to expand capacity and deliver capabilities to warfighters faster. He added that the Lockheed Martin Camden expansion advances next-generation manufacturing and builds on a long partnership with the state.
As a result, the Lockheed Martin Camden expansion deepens a plant that already carries a broad portfolio of rocket and missile programs. According to the announcement, Lockheed Martin has steadily increased its Arkansas operations and production capacity in recent years, and this project continues that pattern.
Project Overview
- Project Name: Lockheed Martin Camden Operations Expansion
- Developer or Owner: Lockheed Martin
- Location: Highland Industrial Park, Camden, Arkansas
- Project Type: Defense manufacturing capacity expansion
- Project Value: $420 million capital investment
- Platforms: PAC-3, THAAD and Precision Strike Missile (PrSM)
- Existing Facility: 2.2 million square feet on 2,427 acres
- Existing Workforce: About 1,100 employees
- New Jobs: 650 full-time positions over five years
- Announcement Date: November 2, 2026
- Construction Start: Not publicly disclosed
- Target Completion: Not publicly disclosed
- Construction Jobs: Not publicly disclosed
- Incentives: Not publicly disclosed
- Related Project: Munitions Acceleration Center, groundbreaking January 29, 2026, tied to a framework agreement to raise THAAD output from 96 to 400 a year
Project Team
Owner and Developer
- Owner and Operator: Lockheed Martin
- Design Team: Not publicly disclosed
- General Contractor: Not publicly disclosed
Public Bodies and Economic Development
- Announcing Agency: Arkansas Economic Development Commission
- State Government: Office of Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders
- Local Economic Development: Ouachita Partnership for Economic Development
- Customer and Framework Partner: U.S. Department of War
Related Project: Amazon LIT3, Port of Little Rock
- Owner: Amazon
- Developer and Builder: Hamilton Development
- Port Authority: Little Rock Port Authority
Lockheed Martin Camden Expansion Builds on the Munitions Acceleration Center
In January 2026, Lockheed Martin broke ground on a Munitions Acceleration Center at Highland Industrial Park, according to a company announcement issued on the day of the ceremony. The center is designed to prepare a workforce to build THAAD, PAC-3 and other systems using advanced manufacturing, robotics and digital technologies.
The groundbreaking followed a framework agreement with the Department of War to raise THAAD interceptor production from 96 to 400 a year. At that rate, company-wide output would average more than one THAAD interceptor per day.
Moreover, a first framework agreement signed earlier in January covers PAC-3 MSE interceptors. Lockheed Martin chief executive Jim Taiclet said the recent agreements will lift annual PAC-3 MSE output from 600 to 2,000 units, which averages more than five interceptors per day.
Local reporting on the groundbreaking noted that the PAC-3 interceptor is produced only in Camden. The new Lockheed Martin Camden expansion lists PAC-3 first among the three platforms receiving added capacity.
Arkansas Officials Frame Lockheed Martin Camden Expansion as Defense Industrial Base Growth
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said no place in Arkansas is growing faster for a better purpose than Camden. She described the state as the “Arsenal of Freedom” and said Lockheed Martin is relying on South Arkansas to supply American warfighters and allies worldwide.
Clint O’Neal, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, said Camden is recognized globally as a defense manufacturing hub. He attributed Lockheed Martin’s continued growth to an experienced workforce, a strong business environment and a supportive community.
James Lee Silliman, executive director of the Ouachita Partnership for Economic Development, said the commitment would transform the economies of Calhoun and Ouachita counties. In addition, he said the investment reflects the company’s confidence in the local workforce.
Lockheed Martin will hire for a range of positions as the Lockheed Martin Camden expansion proceeds. Over five years, 650 jobs equate to about 130 hires a year if recruitment is spread evenly. Furthermore, the $420 million figure works out to roughly $646,000 of capital for each of the 650 new positions.
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