Boeing on Monday announced that it had been awarded a $1.1 billion U.S. Army contract to extend production for the branch’s missile seeker arsenal.

Under the contract, the defense behemoth will produce an estimated 1,500 additional seekers at its Huntsville-headquartered Missile and Weapons Systems division. As a subcontractor to fellow industry partner Lockheed Martin, Boeing’s production is set to begin in 2023 through the competition of the contract in 2026.

The Boeing-built seeker provides guidance data to the PAC-3 interceptor, which has supported American warfighters, U.S. allies and international partners abroad from missile threats posed by foreign adversaries for more than two decades.

Robert Green, director of Boeing Integrated Air and Missile Defense, hailed the work conducted to support the U.S. Army’s Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile system as being critical to U.S. national security.

“Our battle-tested, precision seeker is the product of decades of world-class engineering, research and development,” said Green. “Of course, none of this would be possible without the dedication and hard work of our entire PAC-3 team. As air and missile defense needs increase worldwide, we’re proud to be entrusted with continuing to deliver this critical capability to protect those who serve in uniform.”

In anticipation of future production growth, Boeing last month broke ground on a 9,000-square-foot expansion of its Huntsville Electronics Center of Excellence. The aerospace giant last year was awarded contracts totaling $974 million to develop the U.S. Army’s next-generation seeker.

According to the company, Boeing has produced more than 4,300 PAC-3 missile seekers since 2000.

Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL