RTX’s Raytheon announced it had agreed to help Avio establish a state-of-the-art solid rocket motor (SRM) facility in the United States.
The facility would serve Raytheon and other customers, with Raytheon gaining preferred access to a share of the Avio plant production capacity. The companies said the Memorandum of Understanding would help establish a strategic partnership between the two companies, building on a contract that was signed in July 2024 for the preliminary engineering work on the Mk 104 rocket motor, as well as a recent purchase order to fund critical design review and procurement of material for qualification.
“This agreement will help establish an additional supplier of solid rocket motors within the U.S. and demonstrates our commitment to meeting the increasing demands of our customers,” Bob Butz, vice president of Operations, Supply Chain and Quality at Raytheon, said. “By leveraging Avio’s experience and unique capabilities in solid rocket motor propulsion development and manufacturing, we’re strengthening our capacity for critical weapon systems.”
The new Avio facility will help meet the growing demand for advanced SRMs, officials said, and will help both companies deliver high-quality defense products. Avio and Raytheon said they are committed to working together to implement the initiative and to support U.S. defense needs.
“We are proud to be partnered with Raytheon for their future production capacity needs at our new factory facility. We look forward to leveraging the incredible pedigree and experience of our parent company Avio S.p.A. as we build our factory and establish in the U.S. as a true vertically integrated merchant supplier,” VADM Ret. Jim Syring, CEO of Avio USA, said.