Lockheed Martin and Avio have agreed to cooperate on solid rocket motor production for the Extended Range Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System and Precision Strike Missile programmes. Following qualification, manufacturing will take place at Avio USA’s new facility in Hurt, Virginia, giving Lockheed Martin access to additional merchant capacity as demand for guided munitions increases.
Avio USA CEO James Syring and Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control President Tim Cahill announced the agreement at the AUSA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The project will draw on the solid-propulsion expertise of Avio S.p.A., Avio USA’s Italian parent company.
The arrangement is intended to expand and diversify the US solid-rocket-motor industrial base, strengthen supply-chain resilience and provide greater flexibility for ER GMLRS and PrSM output. It could also support faster production of the missiles, although the companies have not disclosed production quantities, delivery schedules, financial terms or specific contract commitments.
Avio has invested or committed more than $500 million in US solid-rocket-motor capacity. The Hurt facility is expected to be completed by the end of 2028, with production planned to start in early 2029, according to Avio. That schedule remains subject to the required qualification process.