“These strategic investments in our solid rocket motor industrial base are crucial to ensuring the Department of War continues to have access to the munition propulsion systems required for our national security,” said Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey. “By partnering with industry through the Defense Production Act, we are strengthening the resilience of our supply chains and growing domestic manufacturing capacity that is vital to maintaining our technological edge.”
Materials Resources LLC received $25.2 million to demonstrate prototype production capability for solid rocket motor metallic cases using additive manufacturing and scalable manufacturing cells. The company intends to pursue a phased approach enabling agile and horizontally scalable case manufacturing with the flexibility to adapt materials and component designs.
ICF Mercantile LLC was awarded $9.3 million to establish the first domestic production source of rayon filament cellulose precursor rayon. This will support the manufacture of Carbon Phenolic Ablatives for rocket motors and re-entry body heatshields, while employing environmentally safe ionic liquid technology.
SPARC Research LLC received $5.1 million to develop a dedicated and affordable supply of rocket motor components. The output is expected to support improvements to high-performance propulsion systems.
The announcement brings the total number of DPA Title III awards for the solid rocket motor industrial base under a recent Defence Industrial Base Consortium agreement to four, with a cumulative value of $53.9 million. Since the start of fiscal year 2025, the DPA Purchases Office has committed $777.1 million across 14 investments, complemented by $88 million in recipient cost shares.
The Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy oversees these initiatives through the Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization directorate. The office works with domestic and international partners to sustain a resilient industrial base and has adopted a new consortium agreement to solicit ideas for supply chain resiliency solutions.
Source: U.S. Department of War.
