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LITTLETON, Colo., Aug. 11, 2026 — Lockheed Martin said it is making a multimillion-dollar investment to develop a Modular Payload Delivery System (MPDS), aiming to adapt proven hypersonic missile body technologies into a flexible family of weapons for both offensive and defensive missions.
The company framed the effort as a push to speed new capabilities to the field in line with the Department of War’s (DOW) Arsenal of Freedom and munitions acceleration priorities, emphasizing rapid scaling of hypersonic systems and faster integration of alternative payloads.
MPDS repackages core hypersonic technologies into a modular architecture designed to let DOW and industry integrate a range of payloads with limited impact on the rest of the system. Lockheed Martin said the approach is intended to support long-range strike, enable larger payloads for shorter-range tasks, and incorporate missile defense applications, while cutting the time and expense typically associated with new developments.
“Our Modular Delivery System reflects our commitment to listening to our customers and delivering innovative solutions that meet evolving mission requirements,” Johnathon Caldwell, Lockheed Martin vice president and general manager of Strategic and Missile Defense Systems said. “By investing in a modular payload delivery system built upon our proven hypersonic technologies and legacy, we’re expanding operational utility, delivering affordability and accelerating advanced capabilities that would be historically burdened by development timelines and challenges.”
Built on flight-tested technologies and an existing supplier base, MPDS is positioned to pair mature designs with streamlined manufacturing, the company said. Its modularity is intended to reduce non-recurring engineering for new payload integration, simplify assembly, integration and testing, and use automation to lower labor hours—measures aimed at faster deliveries and more value from existing airframe designs.
Lockheed Martin said it is seeking partnerships across government, industry and academia to accelerate integration of MPDS with other advanced capabilities to strengthen deterrence.
The company added that the investment supports the Department of War’s Scaled Hypersonics Critical Technology Area and broader munitions acceleration initiative, describing MPDS as part of its commitment to fielding technologies that speed new capabilities to warfighters under the Arsenal of Freedom.
