L3Harris Breaks Ground on Solid Rocket Motor ‘Factories of the Future’ in Arkansas

L3Harris Technologies marked the beginning of construction on four new solid rocket motor production facilities at the company’s Camden site, hosting Department of Defense officials, industry customers and state and local dignitaries at a ceremony today.

The expansion is part of a $215.6 million cooperative agreement between the Defense Department’s Defense Production Act Title III program and L3Harris to increase domestic rocket propulsion manufacturing capacity as demand grows for tactical and strategic missile capabilities. The new facilities will incorporate modern equipment and processes.

Construction in Camden will include a 60,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility that will centralize production of a key program under one roof, cutting the distance motors travel during manufacturing by 80%. The expansion will also include a dedicated mixer building, as well as complementary propellant processing buildings to support increased motor production.

Since signing the cooperative agreement with the Defense Department, L3Harris has finalized building designs, created plans for undeveloped property across multiple sites and purchased new equipment. New tooling and equipment have already contributed to increased motor production.

The company is also modernizing and expanding solid rocket motor facilities under the cooperative agreement in two additional states. L3Harris will build new facilities in Orange County, Virginia, to support increased production and will transition production of inert components for critical missile systems to Huntsville, Alabama.