Second Stage Solid Rocket Motor
Solid Rocket Motors
Delivering at Scale Today. Expanding Capacity for Tomorrow.
We Deliver World-Class Propulsion
With over seven decades of expertise and more than one million solid rocket motors (SRMs) delivered, we are a trusted leading provider of large, medium and small propulsion systems that are key enablers in deterring, defending and defeating threats, delivering cargo to space and propelling discovery.
Propulsion technology is the cornerstone of our nation’s ability to protect and defend the U.S. and our allies against adversaries in a dynamic threat environment. It is essential to missile defense efforts. It’s also the cornerstone for exploration into the vast unknown of space.
An Industry-Leading Propulsion Portfolio
Enabling critical national security, defense, civil and commercial space missions.
Propulsion for Any Mission
From a few inches to the largest segmented solid rocket motor ever produced, our SRMs fit broad customer needs across diverse mission sets.
Small Solid Rocket Motors
Providing affordable mass to combat dynamic threats
(Video Source: DVIDS/DoD)
Ready Now and Future Capable
Investing to further expand production capacity.
1.3M SRMs delivered
Propelling Progress
Northrop Grumman is rapidly developing new solid rocket motors with continuous innovation. Using advanced propellant, robotic manufacturing and innovative data collection processes, we're perpetually iterating new technologies, reducing manufacturing time and delivering with agility and speed. As we expand production for the missions of tomorrow, we are developing in record time new rocket motors that can travel farther, faster and more affordably than ever.
NOVEL PROPELLANT PROCESSING
In just five months, our engineers in Rocket Center, West Virginia, designed and delivered a 2.5-inch highly loaded grain motor that packs more punch. (Image Credit: Raytheon)
ACCELERATED DEMONSTRATION
A team in Elkton, Maryland, took just 10 months to design, develop and successfully demonstrate a new 21-inch second-stage solid rocket motor for multiple-mission use.
DISRUPTIVE DEVELOPMENT
Monthly demos of disruptive propulsion technologies under our Accelerated Development of Advanced Propulsion Technology (ADAPT) program aim to enhance performance, producibility and cost.
Manufacturing Powerhouse
Northrop Grumman's 10 million square feet of SRM manufacturing space across three states is a national asset.
Capacity for Today and Tomorrow
Since 2018, Northrop Grumman has invested more than $1 billion in boosting our SRM propulsion manufacturing facilities across the U.S. to ensure we have excess capacity today and room to grow tomorrow.
2025: ABL Plant III Improvements
ABL Plant III Improvements
Adding new Mix/Cast building with 300-gallon mixer in 2025, increasing propellant mix capacity by 15% in immediate termFacility modernization improvements
2025: Utah Expansion Complete
Expansion and modernization complete in Utah facilities2x large SRM production3x propellant casting capabilities
2025: ABL Missile Integration Facility
113,000 square foot facilityHigh-capacity production for strike missiles; supports production of 300 strike missiles per yearHighly automated, digital factory
2026: Elkton Propulsion Innovation Center
57,000 sq ft engineering facility will house 250 engineers working on advanced propulsion products to support U.S. and allied defense programsPart of a broader $100 million investment at the Elkton site
2027: ABL Plant V
22 new buildings; three new 300-gallon mixersIncreasing energetics capacity by 30%Inert processing and final assembly
2028: Expanding Propellant Production
Annual propellant production capacity is expected to reach nearly 50 million pounds across Northrop Grumman
2029: Boosting SRM Production
SRM production will increase to over 25,000 per year25% growth from 2028
News
Propulsion Capacity Expansion
SRM Production & Performance
