Lockheed Martin Opens New Interceptor Missile Plant in Alabama

Lockheed Martin held a ribbon-cutting ceremony June 1 at its new, 88,000-square-foot missile factory in Courtland, Alabama. According to a company release, Missile Assembly Building 5 will produce the company’s Next Generation Interceptor missiles for the Missile Defense Agency. The company did not specify how much it had spent on the plant or how many jobs it would create, but local news media noted the existing facility employed about 400 workers previously.

Military leaders said the new plant would be a part of the company’s proposed “Golden Dome” system of interceptor missiles. In a statement, Space Force General Mike Guetlein, Director of Golden Dome for America, said the new building is critical to national security and called the to-be-built missiles part of “the arsenal of freedom.”

According to the company, other area Lockheed factories will support the missile initiative. The company said its Troy, Alabama factory will support missile production in Courtland using hardware integration. Company leadership said the missile program was designed to accommodate future missile technology innovations. In a statement, Christopher Jewell, VP of Lockheed Martin’s NGI program, said the missiles were “designed from the start to adapt.”

“Its digital foundation allows new technologies to be integrated more quickly, ensuring the system can stay ahead of emerging threats,” Jewell said.

U.S. Representative Dale Strong, whose district includes Courtland, said in a statement the new building would improve national security and create jobs for the area without specifying how many people the new building would employ.

“This state-of-the-art facility will play a major role in protecting our homeland as well as reshaping Courtland's role as a steady source of quality jobs and growth for the Tennessee Valley,” Strong said.