Construction is expected to finish in late 2028, with production anticipated to begin in early 2029. The company expects the plant, located at the Southern Virginia Multimodal Park, to create roughly 1,500 technical jobs.
“Our goal is to be an independent, open-source merchant supplier, able to support multiple customers and programs and provide major defense primes with an additional source for this critical capability,” said Avio USA Chief Executive James Syring. “That means more capacity, more competition and greater resilience in the American rocket motor supply chain.”
“This new facility is a significant step toward a more robust and diverse supply chain for solid rocket motors that are critical to our nation’s defense,” said Tim Cahill, president of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “Lockheed Martin is working hand-in-hand with Avio USA to expand this vital resource that will benefit the entire defense industrial base.”
Raytheon also identified additional sourcing options as a benefit of the project. “By expanding and diversifying our supply base through additional sourcing options, we are supporting long‑term growth across the defense industrial base and ensuring we can deliver more capability faster to the warfighter,” said Bob Butz, Raytheon’s senior vice president of Operations, Supply Chain and Quality.
Avio USA is a subsidiary of Rome-based Avio S.p.A. and operates under a DCSA Special Security Agreement. “The successful completion of our capital raise provided the resources for this investment, which will expand the U.S. solid rocket motor manufacturing capacity and establish a lasting American presence for Avio,” said Avio Chief Executive Giulio Ranzo.
HITT Contracting is leading construction as the general contractor. “Alongside strong local trade partners, we are focused on safely delivering another piece of America’s critical infrastructure while supporting Avio’s investment in the expansion of U.S. manufacturing,” said Josh Foreso, HITT’s executive vice president.
