A $2 billion agreement covers components for the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement interceptor. Northrop Grumman will supply solid rocket motors and ignition safety devices as global demand rises.
A separate $1 billion agreement covers components for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system. Northrop Grumman said the seven-year framework would quadruple component production and significantly increase monthly deliveries.
“Our long-term investments in breakthrough manufacturing technologies and resilient supply chains let us pivot from steady production to a production surge in record time,” Ben Davies, corporate vice president at Northrop Grumman, said. “As one of America’s leading producers of solid rocket motors, we’re supporting the administration’s push to accelerate munitions output.”
“It’s a mission-critical leap forward that ensures America’s defense edge stays sharper, faster, and farther ahead of global threats,” Davies said. Northrop Grumman is expanding production across several U.S. facilities.
Investments made since 2021 are doubling solid rocket motor capacity at the company’s Utah sites. Capacity is also nearly tripling in West Virginia and rising 25% in Elkton, Maryland.
The West Virginia expansion centers on the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory in Rocket Center. Northrop Grumman plans to triple tactical solid rocket motor production capability there by 2027.
The company said the investment supports U.S. Army plans to raise annual PAC-3 MSE missile production. Output is expected to increase from about 600 units today to thousands in the near term.
The additional missiles are intended for U.S. forces and allied partners. Northrop Grumman said the expansion would provide greater speed, volume and precision for integrated air and missile defense.
Northrop Grumman has supplied THAAD components since 2002. Its work includes interceptor shell cores, aft bulkheads and heat shield assemblies.
The components use proprietary bonding technology designed for high-temperature kinetic intercept missions. Production takes place at the company’s San Diego facility, which has operated for 50 years.
Since 2019, Northrop Grumman has invested more than $2 billion in munitions technologies and facilities. More than $1 billion has supported solid rocket motor production.
The company has delivered more than 1.3 million solid rocket motors during seven decades of propulsion work. Its wider portfolio includes fixed ammunition, warheads and fuzes for every branch of the U.S. military.
