Lockheed Martin Sippican Awarded $19.8 Million Army Deal for Stinger Warheads

The Army awarded Lockheed Martin Sippican Inc. a $19.8 million firm-fixed-price contract for production of Stinger missile warheads and fuzes, with one bid received and completion set for July 28, 2026.

First Published: July 28, 2026, 1:19 PM ET

LIVERPOOL, NEW YORK — Lockheed Martin Sippican Inc., a naval and defense electronics division of the largest U.S. defense contractor, received a $19.8 million Army contract to produce Stinger missile warheads and fuzes as announced on war.gov.

The firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity award totals $19,791,630, and the Army solicited bids over the internet with one received, the contract notice said. Work locations and funding will follow with each order, and the estimated completion date is July 28, 2026. The Stinger is a shoulder-fired, infrared-guided surface-to-air missile that defends troops against low-altitude aircraft and drones. Warheads and fuzes detonate and trigger the weapon on target, making them central to its effectiveness.

Lockheed Martin acquired Sippican Holdings Inc. in 2004 from private equity firm The Carlyle Group and management, a deal that added surface ship countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare training and submarine communications systems to its portfolio, according to lockheedmartin.com. Sippican has supplied U.S. and international navies since the 1960s and employed more than 400 people at the time of the purchase, according to lockheedmartin.com. Lockheed Martin completed the acquisition in December 2004 and placed the business under its Maritime Systems and Sensors unit in Manassas, Virginia, according to aviationweek.com.

“The Sippican acquisition aligns with the corporation’s cash deployment strategy of acquiring select, niche companies that enhance our core focus areas,” then-Chief Executive Officer Bob Stevens said in a statement announcing the 2004 deal, according to lockheedmartin.com.

The award marks the 10th contract to Lockheed Martin Sippican Inc.in 2026, lifting the company’s total contract value for the year to $13.2 billion, according to war.gov contract records. It also ranks as the 31st Department of Defense contract awarded in New York during 2026. The deal sits near the low end of the 2026 Army portfolio, which spans a minimum of $9.1 million and a maximum of $8.4 billion.

Renewed demand for the Stinger has reshaped the program in recent years. The weapon gained wide attention after allied nations sent thousands to Ukraine following Russia’s 2022 invasion. Those transfers drained stockpiles and pushed the Army to restart and expand production lines. Contracts for warheads, fuzes and full missiles have followed as the service rebuilds inventories.

For the average U.S. reader, the award shows how defense spending flows to specialized suppliers in specific communities. The contract supports skilled manufacturing work tied to weapons the U.S. and its allies rely on for air defense.

This is not the first Stinger-related order for the year. The July 28 award was one of 11 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide that day, and it followed nine earlier 2026 awards to the same company, according to war.gov contract records.

Army Contracting Command in Newark, New Jersey, holds the next decision point as the contracting activity that will issue individual delivery orders under the agreement. A date for the first order has not been announced.

Stinger has proven itself on battlefields for decades. Fielded in the early 1980s, the missile went to Afghan fighters resisting Soviet forces, where it downed scores of aircraft and helped force a Soviet withdrawal by 1989, according to lockheedmartin.com. That campaign turned a compact infrared missile into one of the most consequential small arms of the Cold War, and its makers have supplied the weapon to dozens of nations since.

This contract represents the 10th contract awarded to Lockheed Martin Sippican Inc., in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $13,234,280,505. It is also the 31st Department of Defense contract awarded in New York during 2026. While this is not the largest contract ever awarded to Lockheed Martin Sippican Inc., whose record stands at $8,402,489,648, it is notable within the Army portfolio. Specifically, it falls between the 2026 Army portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $9,051,490 and maximum of $8,402,489,648. Overall, this award was announced among 11 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 28, 2026.