The Daily Dig
Lockheed Martin is investing $300 million to grow their Grand Prairie, Texas, munitions operation to more than 735,000 square feet. The company announced the expansion on October 14, 2026, along with plans to create 6,000 jobs nationwide, including 2,000 in Texas.
Lockheed has already celebrated a ribbon cutting for the expansion, which they put at nearly 200,000 square feet.
Office Hours Are Over
The expansion adds 100,000 square feet of new space. Another 85,000 square feet of office space is being converted to support automation, digital manufacturing, and high precision machining.
The shop floor is filling up fast. Over the past few months, Lockheed has installed more than 30 additional high precision machines, and those machines are now producing thousands of components each week.
By the end of 2026, the company expects to have added nearly 100 new advanced machines across the facility.
Cell Service
Hadrian is bringing an automated machining cell with 24 machines into the plant. Lockheed’s own production workforce will run the cell, which is expected to be operational in early 2027.
“The warfighter can’t wait on peacetime timelines,” said Chris Power, CEO of Hadrian. The announcement follows an agreement the two companies signed in 2025 that runs for seven years.
Grand Prairie is one piece of a much larger push. The $300 million is part of Lockheed’s plan to invest $8 billion to $9 billion through 2030 to scale munitions production and modernize or expand more than 20 U.S. facilities.
Snapshot:
Project: Grand Prairie advanced manufacturing expansion
Owner/Operator: Lockheed Martin
Partner: Hadrian (automated machining cell)
Location: Grand Prairie, Texas
Sector: Defense manufacturing / munitions
Status: Ribbon cutting celebrated; office conversion and equipment additions ongoing
Investment: $300 million
Expansion Size: Nearly 200,000 sq. ft.
New Space: 100,000 sq. ft.
Office Space Being Converted: 85,000 sq. ft.
Total Footprint: More than 735,000 sq. ft.
Additional Machines Installed (past few months): More than 30
New Machines Added by End of 2026 (expected): Nearly 100
Hadrian Cell: 24 machines, operational early 2027
Lockheed/Hadrian Agreement: Signed 2025, seven years
Current Production Workforce: Nearly 800
2025 Output: 250,000 parts
Production Goal: Record production levels at Grand Prairie
Planned Jobs: 6,000 U.S., including 2,000 in Texas
Programs Supported: PAC-3 MSE, THAAD, PrSM, JATM
Final Assembly Sites Supplied: Camden, Arkansas; Troy, Alabama
Contracting: Landmark agreements for PAC-3 MSE, THAAD, PrSM and JATM, applying commercially inspired contracting approaches with Department of War leadership
Broader Program: $8 billion to $9 billion through 2030 to scale munitions production and modernize or expand more than 20 U.S. facilities
Hadrian Footprint: Four facilities, just under 3 million sq. ft. (two in Torrance, California; Arizona; Alabama), additional sites in development
Related: Collaboration with GM Defense on commercial automotive manufacturing practices
TheJobWalk Thoughts
The $300 million makes the headline, but the bigger signal is $8 billion to $9 billion through 2030 to scale munitions production and modernize or expand more than 20 U.S. facilities. Not all of that is construction. Lockheed says their landmark program agreements give them more predictability to invest, and predictability is what turns capital plans into bid packages.
Grand Prairie also shows the approach: convert existing space fast, alongside new construction. Machining conversions usually lean on power distribution, floor capacity, and work sequenced around live production. Electrical subs and gear suppliers should take note, because a fast schedule only holds when the equipment shows up.
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