Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics said this week they have made significant progress in the joint development of solid rocket motor (SRM) production.
In April, the teams broke ground on a solid rocket motor manufacturing site in Camden, Ark., that will feature more than 50,000-square-feet of production space in 16 purpose-built facilities. The site is expected to be completed next year and will employ nearly 100 people.
“By combining trusted manufacturing approaches with proven automation, we are building the resilience needed to guarantee reliable, high-quality and on‑time delivery of SRMs at production scale,” said Chris Haynes, senior vice president at General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems. “This partnership not only accelerates our innovation cycle — bringing increased scale and more cost‑effective motors to our customers faster — but also reinforces the robust and trusted supply network for this mission critical capability.”
The teams are focusing on building supply chain resilience and bringing advanced propulsion capabilities to market. Progress includes the progression of major subcomponent design and testing, a design review of all SRM elements, and the execution of a full scale inert SRM build validating critical tooling, assembly, and production processes. The next step will be a static test of the solid rocket motor.
“We are very pleased with the steady progress we are making in the development and production of solid rocket motors,” said Jerry Brode, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Solid Rocket Motor Product Center. “Successfully hitting these critical design and production milestones highlights the momentum behind the program and strong industry collaboration. Together with our partners, we are creating a new source of supply for a critical component of the nation’s defense.”