TheTechno Optimist.

Solid rocket motor production rampNorthrop Grumman—Northrop opens Propulsion Innovation Center in Elkton, Maryland, part of a $100M expansionYFQ-48A TalonNorthrop Grumman—USAF designates Northrop Grumman's Project Talon as YFQ-48A, a strong contender for Collaborative Combat Aircraft Increment 2MQ-4C TritonNorthrop Grumman—Denmark, Finland, Germany and Norway announce plan to buy up to five MQ-4C Tritons for NATOMission Extension Vehicles / Mission Robotic VehicleNorthrop Grumman—Northrop Grumman launches Mission Robotic Vehicle for commercial satellite servicing in geosynchronous orbitSolid rocket motor production rampNorthrop Grumman—Northrop signs $3B in frameworks to add PAC-3 MSE motors and boost THAAD parts outputNorthrop Grumman—Air Force and Northrop Grumman break ground on B-21 production facility in PalmdaleMQ-4C TritonNorthrop Grumman—Northrop gets a $66M order to retrofit fielded US and Australian TritonsB-21 RaiderNorthrop Grumman—Ground broken on a new 1 million sq ft B-21 final assembly line in PalmdaleMQ-4C TritonNorthrop Grumman—Navy logs Class A mishap after an MQ-4C Triton is lost near the Persian GulfB-21 RaiderNorthrop Grumman—Air Force and Northrop agree to raise B-21 production capacity by 25% using $4.5B of 2025 fundingSolid rocket motor production rampNorthrop Grumman—Navy picks Northrop Grumman to develop a 21-inch second-stage rocket motor, $94.3M

Solid rocket motor production ramp

by Northrop GrummanUS

Nearly double the solid rocket motors Northrop makes each year. Motor supply limits how fast the US and its allies can build interceptors such as PAC-3 and THAAD and many other missiles.

ScalingStage 5 of 5

Elkton propulsion center opened Sept 2026; aiming for 25,000+ motors a year by 2029, up from 13,000 in 2024.

Updated Sep 2026Checked 11 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Allegany tactical motor capability tripled (vs 2021)
  1. Motor capacity investment starts (over $1B to date)2018Complete.
  2. About 13,000 motors built in the year2024Complete.
  3. 21-inch Navy second-stage motor static-fired, 10 months in21 Nov 2025Complete.
  4. Navy picks Northrop for 21-inch second stage: $94.3M, 60 unitsJan 2026Complete.
  5. $2B PAC-3 MSE motor and $1B THAAD framework agreements3 Aug 2026Complete.
  6. Elkton Propulsion Innovation Center opens10 Sep 2026Complete.
  7. Allegany tactical motor capability tripled (vs 2021)Target 2027Current milestone.
  8. Propellant capacity near 50 million lb a yearTarget 2028Not yet reached.
  9. Output above 25,000 motors a yearTarget 2029Not yet reached.

Most important updates

Upcoming

  1. 2027Allegany tactical motor capability tripled (vs 2021) (next)
  2. 2028Propellant capacity near 50 million lb a year
  3. 2029Output above 25,000 motors a year
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