Lockheed Martin opened its Rapid Fielding Center, a facility that streamlines the end-to-end development, testing and prototype production of systems and solutions for U.S. government customers.
The modular environment enables Lockheed Martin to develop and scale new capabilities quickly in response to the government's accelerated acquisition schedules.
The Rapid Fielding Center is integrated with the manufacturing floor, providing proximity to production equipment and tradespeople to allow for immediate feedback on design. The model reduces cost and accelerates the delivery of innovative capabilities to the warfighter.
Lockheed Martin said prototypes that once required years of development can now be designed, fabricated and validated within months. The modular layout can be reconfigured quickly to meet evolving program needs before handoff to the final-production site.
Lockheed Martin said it has invested more than $7 billion since President Donald Trump's first term to expand capacity for priority systems, including approximately $2 billion dedicated to accelerating munitions production. It's planning a multibillion-dollar investment over the next three years to expand production and build and modernize more than 20 facilities in Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Massachusetts and Texas. This includes upgrading existing facilities and incorporating advanced manufacturing techniques, production lines, tooling and plant layouts to meet urgent production demand.
