Lockheed Martin announced Thursday that General Motors has delivered its first batch of components for the Patriot missile defense system, giving the defense contractor an additional manufacturing source as demand for air-defense weapons continues to rise.

The components were produced by GM Defense, a subsidiary of General Motors, for Lockheed Martin’s PAC-3 MSE Patriot interceptors. The initial shipment of interceptor housing components was delivered August 28, just 22 days after the companies signed their manufacturing agreement on August 6. Lockheed said components that traditionally can take months or years to produce were delivered in less than a month.

The Patriot system has become a critical part of U.S. and allied missile-defense efforts, particularly amid Russia’s war against Ukraine and the ongoing conflict involving Israel and Iran. Ukraine has credited Patriot batteries with helping protect its cities from Russian ballistic missile attacks and has repeatedly requested additional launchers and interceptors as Russian airstrikes intensify.

The new agreement builds on a broader partnership Lockheed Martin and GM Defense announced in June to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base. The companies said GM Defense’s manufacturing facilities and laboratories would help expand production capacity and improve supply-chain resilience as demand for munitions increases.

“This extraordinary 22-day turnaround underscores Lockheed Martin's relentless focus on execution — delivering for our troops faster, with greater capacity,” said Tim Cahill, president of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.

GM Defense President and CEO Stephen duMont said the company’s precision-fabrication capabilities would contribute to the production of critical U.S. defense systems.

Lockheed Martin is also investing between $8 billion and $9 billion to increase production of the PAC-3 MSE, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense and Precision Strike Missile systems. The expansion includes new buildings and additional jobs at more than 20 U.S. locations, with the company expecting its production and warehousing space to increase by nearly 50%.

The rapid delivery comes as the Pentagon seeks to increase the speed and capacity of the U.S. defense industrial base, while conflicts overseas continue to drive demand for advanced missile-defense systems and other munitions.