Anduril Secures $14.3M Pentagon Contract for Rocket Motor Expansion

The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded a $14.3 million contract to Anduril Industries to expand solid rocket motor (SRM) production at its Mississippi facility.

The funding, announced on Jan. 7, aims to modernize facilities and enhance manufacturing processes under the Defense Production Act (DPA). It supports 2024 National Defense Industrial Strategy's objective to bolster supply chain resiliency and increase domestic production in strategic priority areas.

The agreement builds on Anduril’s $75 million private investment, with the Pentagon emphasizing the strategic need to strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities amid supply chain vulnerabilities exposed by the Ukraine conflict.

At its facility in McHenry, Mississippi, Anduril is using the DPA Title III funding to advance the development and qualification of next-generation SRMs through manufacturing methods such as bladeless speed-mixing and single-piece flow. The investment also supports ongoing efforts to design, produce, and test second-stage rocket motors for programs like the U.S. Navy's Standard Missile-6 (SM-6).

"The effort will streamline SRM production, designing a family of processes that cut costs, increase manufacturing speed, and improve product quality," added Mr. Anthony Di Stasio, Director of the Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP) directorate. "This strategic investment will make the development of new SRMs more affordable, faster, and less prone to non-conformances."

This is one of five awards made by the DPA Purchases Office across multiple areas totaling $290.8 million since the beginning of fiscal year 2025.

The contract follows Anduril’s acquisition of Adranos, a solid rocket motor manufacturer, in 2023. Adranos’ proprietary ALITEC fuel technology is expected to boost missile range performance.

Pentagon officials highlighted the consolidation in the SRM sector since the 1990s, which has reduced the number of manufacturers from six to two, and the challenges of limited suppliers for critical components. New market entrants like Anduril, Ursa Major, and X-Bow are working to alleviate these constraints.