New Delhi, July 30 -- The United States Army awarded Lockheed Martin a $53.859 billion contract modification for PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement interceptors on Wednesday, the largest Patriot missile procurement in the weapon system's history, as the Pentagon moves to triple production of the air defense interceptor by 2030 in response to what officials have described as a structural shortage in missile stockpiles across the United States and its allies.

the most advanced interceptor variant in the Patriot family, capable of engaging ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and advanced aircraft at higher altitudes and longer ranges than earlier PAC-3 variants.

The scale of the procurement reflects a reckoning that has built across NATO a...