Aerojet Rocketdyne nabs $216M solid-rocket motor facility upgrade contract

The Defense Department has entered into a $215.6 million agreement with Aerojet Rocketdyne to expand and modernize facilities in three states where the company builds rocket propulsion systems, according to a statement issued today.

The Pentagon's Office of Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization undertook the agreement, and the Aerojet factories are located in Camden, AR, Huntsville, AL and Orange County, VA, the statement reads.

"These systems propel DOD missiles and missile defense interceptors, along with space-launch vehicles and national security satellites used in civil and commercial applications," the Pentagon said. The money will be used to "modernize manufacturing processes at the company's facilities, consolidate production lines, purchase equipment, build systems to process data and increase production and delivery speed for Javelins, Stingers and the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS)."

The effort was funded by the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, according to DOD.

The U.S. has provided Javelins, Stingers, and GMLRS rockets to the Ukrainian government, and modernizing Aerojet Rocketdyne's facilities will benefit DOD as it replenishes its ammunition supplies, the department said.

"The Office of Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization is moving forward with appropriate urgency to support strategic industrial sectors crucial to protecting national security," Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said in the statement. "This critical investment will modernize rocket propellant and motor production in the United States, in addition to creating technical and skilled labor jobs at multiple domestic facilities."