The War Department said it has issued two Defense Production Act Title III awards totaling $33.5 million to expand the solid rocket motor industrial base.
The funding signals a push to strengthen domestic capacity for components central to missiles, interceptors, and certain space launch systems. Solid rocket motors rely on specialized materials, skilled labor, and tightly controlled manufacturing, and industry analysts have warned that a concentrated supplier base and aging production infrastructure can create bottlenecks during demand surges.
Title III of the Defense Production Act enables the government to invest directly in industrial capacity deemed critical to national defense. Such awards commonly support equipment modernization, facility expansions, workforce development, and qualification of additional suppliers to reduce single points of failure.
Solid rocket motors are used across a range of defense systems, from tactical and strategic missiles to missile defense interceptors. Expanding capacity can shorten lead times, improve resiliency against supply chain disruptions, and bolster surge production when required.
