“What does a THAAD air defense interceptor have in common with a Corvette?”
The question, posed by Lockheed Martin Chief Operating Officer Frank St. John, seemed unusual at first. Yet his answer underscored a growing trend that could reshape Western defense manufacturing.
“Both of them are highly engineered, both of them are precision manufactured, both of them have broad and diverse supply chains, and both of them are produced at rate,” St. John said.
With those remarks, Lockheed Martin formally announced a new collaboration with General Motors, marking the automaker’s return to large-scale defense manufacturing. Across the Atlantic, French automotive giant Renault revealed a similar partnership with defense technology company Thales to mass-produce military drones.
Together, the two developments signal a significant shift in how Western governments are responding to mounting security challenges and growing concerns about defense-industrial capacity. Nearly eight decades after the end of World War II, policymakers are once again looking to the automotive sector to help solve a pressing military problem: how to rapidly produce weapons and munitions at scale.
For much of the post-Cold War era, Western defense industries operated under the assumption that major interstate wars were unlikely. Production lines were optimized for efficiency rather than volume, while stockpiles were maintained at relatively modest levels.
That assumption has been challenged by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific, and more recently the 40-day U.S.-Iran conflict that exposed the enormous consumption rates of modern precision-guided weapons.
According to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), U.S. forces consumed vast quantities of missiles during the conflict. More than 1,000 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles were launched, representing roughly one-third of the U.S. inventory. Between 190 and 290 THAAD interceptors were used from a prewar stockpile of approximately 400, while Patriot interceptors saw similarly heavy expenditure, with more than 1,000 fired.
Other systems, including SM-3 and SM-6 missiles, Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSMs), and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSMs), were also employed extensively.
The figures have fueled concerns among defense planners about whether existing industrial capacity could sustain a prolonged conflict against a major military power such as China or Russia.
“If the United States can expend a third to nearly half of its inventories of critical precision weapons in just over a month, it raises serious questions about wartime sustainability,” said one defense analyst familiar with industrial base planning.
Against this backdrop, Lockheed Martin and GM Defense announced a new strategic collaboration on June 16 aimed at strengthening America’s defense industrial base.
The initiative, facilitated by the U.S. Department of War, seeks to combine Lockheed Martin’s expertise in advanced weapons systems with General Motors’ experience in large-scale commercial manufacturing.
The companies stated that the partnership will focus on three primary areas: strengthening supply chains, advancing manufacturing and design capabilities, and exploring opportunities to expand production capacity through commercial manufacturing infrastructure.
While details remain limited, reports indicate that General Motors could manufacture commonly used components that support Lockheed Martin’s growing missile production requirements.
The timing of the announcement was notable. On the same day, President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act of 1950 to address bottlenecks affecting U.S. munitions manufacturing.
In a presidential memorandum, Trump warned that systemic constraints within the munitions industrial base—including limited production capacity, fragile supply chains, and long-lead dependencies—could impair the nation’s ability to produce and sustain critical weapons systems.
The memorandum directed the Secretary of War to establish voluntary agreements and action plans designed to accelerate defense production.
Commenting on the agreement, St. John emphasized the importance of manufacturing scale in modern warfare.
“America’s security depends not only on developing advanced technologies, but on our ability to produce them quickly, reliably, and at scale,” he said.
“This collaboration brings together two leaders in American manufacturing and innovation to explore new ways to strengthen the defense industrial base, expand production capacity, and accelerate delivery of critical capabilities for the United States and its allies.”
Lockheed noted that combining commercial and defense-sector expertise could help shorten production timelines while maintaining the rigorous quality standards required for military systems.
The collaboration is expected to play a role in meeting Pentagon demands for significantly higher output of key missile systems. Defense officials have called for production rates of PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement interceptors and THAAD interceptors to be tripled or even quadrupled over the coming years.
The Lockheed-GM agreement aligns closely with broader U.S. efforts to accelerate weapons production.
In 2025, Washington established a Munitions Acceleration Council tasked with increasing production of 12 critical weapons systems. These include Patriot and THAAD interceptors, Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASMs), and several other high-demand precision munitions.
Lockheed Martin manufactures six of the systems included in the initiative, including THAAD interceptors, PAC-3 MSE missiles, Precision Strike Missiles, JASSM and JASSM-ER cruise missiles, LRASMs, and Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs).
Meeting ambitious production targets will require not only additional factory capacity but also more resilient supply chains—an area where major automakers possess decades of expertise.
General Motors operates one of the largest manufacturing ecosystems in North America, managing complex supplier networks capable of producing millions of components annually. Defense planners hope those capabilities can be adapted to support weapons production in much the same way American industry mobilized during World War II.
A similar transformation is unfolding in Europe.
On June 16, Renault announced a strategic partnership with French defense technology company Thales to industrialize the production of military drones.
Under the agreement, Renault will manufacture Thales’ TOUTATIS loitering munition, a remotely operated drone designed for battlefield reconnaissance and precision strike missions.
The partnership aims to dramatically increase production capacity. Thales currently manufactures approximately 100 TOUTATIS drones annually. Renault and Thales intend to expand output to 1,000 units per month beginning as early as 2027.
“This strategic partnership combines Thales’ cutting-edge defense expertise with Renault Group’s industrial engineering and manufacturing capabilities to establish a sovereign, agile, and competitive drone industry in France,” Renault said in a statement.
The company added that the initiative aligns with the requirements of a “wartime economy,” reflecting growing European concerns about long-term military readiness.
The TOUTATIS system is designed to be deployed by individual soldiers and can also be launched from combat vehicles, aircraft, and naval platforms. Equipped with a configurable warhead and designed to resist electronic jamming, the drone enables operators to identify and engage targets while maintaining human control over strike decisions.
The project marks Renault’s second defense collaboration with Thales. The companies are already working together on the development of the 4-TROOP tactical vehicle.
For Renault, the return to defense manufacturing represents a revival of a role the company once played on a massive scale.
During the First World War, Renault produced military trucks, ambulances, artillery shells, and the famous FT-17 tank, widely regarded as one of the most influential armored vehicles of the conflict.
The company also became a major producer of aircraft engines, manufacturing thousands of V12Fe powerplants used in bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Between 1907 and 1944, Renault built more than 30,000 aircraft engines, making it one of France’s most prolific aviation manufacturers.
Like many automotive companies after World War II, Renault eventually shifted its focus almost entirely toward civilian vehicle production.
Now, however, changing geopolitical realities are drawing the company back into defense.
The return of General Motors and Renault to military production highlights a broader strategic calculation taking shape across the West.
Governments increasingly recognize that modern warfare is not determined solely by technological superiority. Industrial capacity, manufacturing speed, and supply-chain resilience are once again becoming decisive factors.
The automotive industry offers unique advantages in all three areas. Large-scale factories, sophisticated logistics networks, advanced engineering expertise, and experience with high-volume production make automakers attractive partners for defense firms seeking rapid expansion.
Whether these initiatives will significantly strengthen Western defense-industrial capacity remains uncertain. Scaling weapons production involves complex regulatory requirements, specialized materials, and stringent quality controls that differ substantially from automobile manufacturing.
Yet as conflicts around the world continue to consume weapons at unprecedented rates, policymakers appear increasingly willing to revisit a model that proved decisive during the world wars.
For now, the partnerships between Lockheed Martin and General Motors in the United States, and Renault and Thales in France, suggest that the line between civilian industry and military production is once again beginning to blur—a development that may define the next era of defense manufacturing.
