Northrop Grumman said it was awarded a $94.3 million contract by the U.S. Navy to develop and qualify a new 21-inch diameter second-stage solid rocket motor (SSRM) for the Navy’s extended-range missile programs to deter and defeat hypersonic threats.
- The SSRM is a rapidly developed design that enables the Navy to quickly and cost-effectively field an extended-range hypersonic defense capability.
- The 21” diameter rocket motor is engineered to significantly extend range and speed across various missions.
- The Navy has expressed interest for potential deployment of Northrop Grumman's extended range propulsion technology across various platforms.
- Continued design and low-rate initial production of 60 units for testing and delivery will take place at Northrop Grumman’s Propulsion Innovation Center in Elkton, Maryland.
Northrop Grumman continues to invest in facilities, capacity, and technologies. To meet growing customer demand, Northrop Grumman has invested nearly $1 billion since 2018 to enhance capacity and capabilities for weapons and missile components, including solid rocket motors.
Propulsion work takes place across six sites in West Virginia, Utah and Maryland, totaling 10 million square feet of manufacturing space. The company said it's tripling capacity for small tactical SRMs at its West Virginia production facility, doubling production capacity for large SRMs in Utah, and increasing by 25% manufacturing capacity in Maryland to accommodate future high-demand programs, including air-breathing hypersonic propulsion solutions.
