L3Harris expands solid rocket motor manufacturing with new site in Arkansas

“Arkansas is a great place for L3Harris to fortify the domestic solid rocket motor industrial base, with its dedicated workforce and strong state and local partnerships,” said Christopher E. Kubasik, Chair and CEO of L3Harris. He added, “Large solid rocket motors are essential to our nation’s missile and strategic defense, and as the Trusted Disruptor, we are strengthening our ability to produce these systems rapidly and at scale, which is essential for current demand and the Golden Dome missile defense shield.”

The new production campus will cover 110 acres and include over 20 buildings designed for high-speed, flexible manufacturing of LSRM propulsion systems for missile defence targets, interceptors, and hypersonic vehicles. This development will add more than 130,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space to L3Harris’ existing 2,000-acre Camden site, which currently employs approximately 1,300 people.

Following a meeting with Kubasik at the Paris Air Show, Governor Sanders praised the investment and its impact on the region. “We are proud to welcome their new manufacturing facilities to South Arkansas and excited they are helping to position Arkansas as the arsenal of democracy,” she said.

Highlighting the state’s economic strengths, Sanders added, “Our state ranks best in the nation for cost-of-living, number one for inbound movers, and topped the country in economic growth for two quarters in a row – so it’s no surprise that major companies like L3Harris continue to invest in our state and drive our number one export industry, aerospace and defense.”

The new LSRM facilities are expected to increase L3Harris’ manufacturing capacity six-fold, using programme-agnostic equipment that enables swift adaptation to shifting customer needs. This flexibility is intended to ensure rapid responsiveness to evolving strategic demands.

“L3Harris is a major part of the aerospace and defense industry in Arkansas, and we are excited to see the company’s continued growth in our state,” said Clint O’Neal, Executive Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. “With this capital investment, L3Harris is advancing our national security and creating new jobs for Arkansans that will strengthen our state’s economy and create new opportunities in South Arkansas.”

L3Harris has a long history in solid rocket motor production, having supplied propulsion systems for every U.S. Air Force Intercontinental Ballistic Missile fielded over the past 60 years. In 2020, it opened a 17,000 square foot facility dedicated to developing motors for next-generation national security programmes, including strategic deterrence and hypersonic systems.

Construction of the new LSRM production campus is expected to begin later this year, with operational manufacturing set to commence in 2027.