Lockheed Martin announces the PAC-3 Adapted Capability Effector (PAC-3 ACE), a lower-cost interceptor designed for the Patriot air and missile defense system. The company presents PAC-3 ACE as a “low-cost interceptor” intended to defeat a broad range of air and missile threats, with sources noting the goal of faster production and wider deployment compared with the current PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE). According to the company, PAC-3 ACE is priced at less than half of PAC-3 MSE. One report cites an estimated PAC-3 MSE cost of about $4 million per interceptor, implying PAC-3 ACE would be below roughly $2 million per missile. Lockheed Martin introduces the system on July 20, and it is later showcased at the Farnborough International Airshow in England. Coverage also links the announcement to increased global demand for ballistic missile defense and, in Ukraine’s case, to ongoing shortages of air defense interceptors, though specific deployment figures are not provided.