US and allies move to build missiles and drones closer to Asia's flashpoints

WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - A U.S.-led defense manufacturing partnership agreed to launch a new missile motor production program with Japan, push forward ​a drone cooperation effort across Asia and explore building a ‌new ammunition production line in the Philippines, the Pentagon said on Friday.

The Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience, known as PIPIR, is a group of nations working ​together to build up their weapons and defense manufacturing capacity ​in the Asia-Pacific region. The United States set it ⁠up in May 2024 to reduce supply chain risks and help ​allies produce and maintain military equipment closer to where it might be ​needed.

The Reuters Iran Briefing newsletter keeps you informed with the latest developments and analysis of the Iran war. Sign up here.

The Pentagon published a joint statement following a virtual meeting on Wednesday, where the group welcomed two new members — Thailand and the United Kingdom — bringing its ​total membership to 16 countries spanning both the Indo-Pacific and Europe.

The ​group said it had agreed to set up a new program to produce solid rocket ‌motors — ⁠the propulsion systems used in many guided weapons — with Japan taking the lead. The move is seen as a way to boost production capacity outside the United States for a key weapons component.

On drones, ​members agreed on ​a series of ⁠steps to develop common standards and shared supply chains for small military drones across the region, including ​work on batteries and small motors that power them. ​The group ⁠also agreed to explore building drones together across a range of military uses.

On ammunition, members said they would look into the Philippines hosting ⁠a new ​facility to load, assemble, and package ​30mm cannon rounds — a type of ammunition widely used by military aircraft and ground vehicles.

Reporting ​by Mike Stone in Washington; editing by Patricia Zengerle and Diane Craft

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

• Suggested Topics:
• Aerospace & Defense

Share

• X

• Facebook

• Linkedin

• Email

• Link

Purchase Licensing Rights

Mike Stone

Thomson Reuters

Mike Stone is a Reuters reporter covering the U.S. arms trade and defense industry. Most recently Mike has been focused on the Golden Dome missile defense shield. Mike also spends a lot of his time writing on Ukraine and how industry has adapted, or faltered as it supports that conflict. Mike, a New Yorker, has extensively covered how the U.S. has supplied Ukraine with weapons, the cadence, decisions and milestones that have had battlefield impacts. Before his time in Washington Mike’s coverage focused on mergers and acquisitions for oil and gas companies, financial institutions, defense companies, consumer product makers, retailers, real estate giants, and telecommunications companies.

• Email