Industry to increase output of smart munitions.

• Author: Versprille, Allyson
• Position: Global Defense

Munitions manufacturers are ramping up production of precision-guided weapons as the Air Force continues to deplete its stock in the fight against the Islamic State.

"If you look at the weapons that we're using in theater, almost 100 percent of the weapons that we use are precision-guided,... either laser-guided or GPS-guided," said Lt. Gen. Jay Raymond, Air Force deputy chief of staff for operations.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

As the service continues to employ those weapons against ISIL, there is some concern regarding shortages down the road, he said. "We clearly have what we need to accomplish the nearterm efforts, but we're looking... to expand the procurement of those weapons for future needs."

Compounding the problem is the Air Force's practice of supplying allies, in addition to U.S. troops, with such munitions. "They are using those weapons as well, and... it's something that we're managing very closely," Raymond noted.

To meet the demand for more munitions, the service has spoken with manufacturers about increasing their capacity, he said.

The Air Force expects that Lockheed Martin will increase production of the Hellfire by roughly 30 percent and Boeing will double the production of the joint direct attack munition and nearly double the production of the small diameter bomb, service spokesperson Maj. Melissa Milner said in an email to National Defense.

As of late March, the Air...