Northrop Grumman is preparing to quadruple production of key components for the THAAD missile defense system at its Miramar facility in San Diego as part of a $3 billion agreement with the Department of Defense. The landmark deal, announced Aug. 3 by Northrop Grumman and the Defense Department, i nvolves Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, and is intended to accelerate missile interceptor production. Northrop Grumman plans to invest millions of dollars in its San Diego facility to reach the increased production rate. “THAAD is terminal high altitude area defense,” Dan Federico, who has worked at Northrop Grumman’s San Diego site for nearly 30 years, said. “So, THAAD interceptors are a defensive missile that basically intercepts incoming ballistic missiles. Kind of like a bullet hitting a bullet at thousands of miles per hour.” Northrop Grumman’s San Diego operation makes structural components that protect sensitive electronics inside the missile as well as thermal heatshields that protect it from extreme heat, said Federico. The company is celebrating 50 years at its Miramar site this year. To support the planned increase in production, Northrop Grumman expects to add manufacturing space and equipment, including more advanced equipment. “As part of this increase in production, we’re going to be investing millions into this facility to be able to increase that production rate to that 4x rate that we talked about,” Federico added, “and you know we’ve done that over time. We know how to do it, like I said, we’ve been a trusted supplier for 20 years and we’ve continually met the need over the years.” The production increase comes as President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth continue to push for increased defense production amid reports of munitions shortfalls with continuing combat operations against Iran. Northrop Grumman has a major presence in San Diego and roughly 30,000 employees statewide. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less