The US Pentagon said on 2025-04-07 that it had signed seven-year agreements with General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems and Lockheed Martin to increase missile production. ^[1] The U.S. Army awarded a $30.8 million contract modification to Paligen Aerospace & Defense LLC to expand a TNT production facility in Graham, Kentucky, bringing the total contract value to $435 million. ^[2] The US Pentagon said the agreements are a response to rising demand for US missile defense systems, driven by escalating conflicts and concerns over missile threats in the Middle East and beyond. ^[3] The US Pentagon said the agreements are intended to 'increase production quantities and accelerate delivery schedules' for critical missile components used in the THAAD and Patriot PAC-3 MSE interceptor programs. ^[4] An explosion in October 2025 destroyed an Accurate Energetic Systems facility in Humphreys County, Tennessee, leaving the Army without an operating domestic TNT source while the Kentucky facility was under construction. ^[5] The Army originally awarded the initial $435 million contract in November 2024 to Paligen's predecessor company, REPKON USA, without competitive bidding. ^[6] The Kentucky facility is targeted for completion around early 2027 and will be the first domestic TNT production site in the United States since the 1980s. ^[7]