These include wide-area surveillance, air-defence sensors and interceptors, and missile-tracking systemsUS Patriot missile defence systems at a US army base in South Korea. 2 official asked major US defence companies to accelerate efforts to produce and deliver key weapons systems amid new concerns about shortages and gaps exacerbated by the Iran war. Steve Feinberg, the deputy secretary of defence, said the department is targeting accelerated or increased procurement for critical programmes including wide-area surveillance, air-defence sensors and interceptors, and missile-tracking systems. “Years-long development cycles are not acceptable,” he wrote in an Aug 5 letter seen by Bloomberg to major defence companies, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin and RTX. In his letter, Feinberg focused on needs beyond those related to the Iran war, including satellite communications and next-generation air-defence systems.