# Solid rocket motors (McHenry, Mississippi) by Anduril Industries Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/manufacturing/solid-rocket-motors Frontier: [Manufacturing](https://technooptimist.io/manufacturing.md) · Field: Munitions & drone production · Company: [Anduril Industries](https://technooptimist.io/companies/anduril.md) Stage: Deploy (4 of 5: Research → Proto → Pilot → Deploy → Scaling) Updated: last update 2026-10-02, facts checked 2026-10-11 Goal: Become a third large US maker of solid rocket motors, the part that limits how many missiles the US can build, by making them faster and cheaper than the two incumbents. Status: Full-rate plant open since Aug 2025, aiming for about 6,000 tactical motors a year by end-2026. Next milestone: About 6,000 tactical motors a year, target Dec 2026 ## Milestones | Status | Milestone | Date | Slip | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Done | Enters the market by buying Adranos | 2023 | | | Done | Ground broken on full-rate plant | Jan 2024 | | | Done | $75M expansion announced (600 to 6,000+ motors a year) | 10 Jun 2024 | | | Done | Army picks Anduril for a 4.75-inch rocket artillery motor | Mar 2025 | | | Done | Full-rate plant opens in McHenry | 5 Aug 2025 | | | Done | Second Defense Production Act award ($43.7M) announced | 24 Feb 2026 | | | Current | About 6,000 tactical motors a year | Dec 2026 | | ## Upcoming events - **Dec 2026**: About 6,000 tactical motors a year ## Most important updates - **2 Oct 2026**: Anduril and Voyager form a propulsion partnership for missile and missile defence programs. Anduril and Voyager Technologies formalised a partnership on propulsion for US weapons and missile defence, covering development through production as programs move to higher rates. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/anduril-and-voyager-form-a-propulsion-partnership-for-missile-and-721369c1.md) · [original source](https://thedefensepost.com/2026/10/02/anduril-voyager-weapons-propulsion/)) - **24 Feb 2026**: Pentagon gives Anduril $43.7M more under the Defense Production Act for rocket motor output. The Defense Department awarded Anduril $43.7 million under Defense Production Act Title III to expand solid rocket motor production in Mississippi. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/pentagon-gives-anduril-43-7m-more-under-the-defense-production-act-for-0ab19c40.md) · [original source](https://thedefensepost.com/2026/02/24/anduril-solid-rocket-motor-production/)) - **7 Oct 2025**: Anduril static-fires a solid rocket motor built with RTX for air-to-air weapons. Anduril static-fired a solid rocket motor it developed and built with Raytheon's Advanced Technology business for air-to-air weapons, with the Air Force Research Laboratory taking part. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/anduril-static-fires-a-solid-rocket-motor-built-with-rtx-for-air-to-air-7ab30eb0.md) · [original source](https://www.tectonicdefense.com/anduril-tests-solid-rocket-motor-for-air-to-air-weapons-with-rtx/)) - **5 Aug 2025**: Anduril opens full-rate solid rocket motor plant in Mississippi, becoming a third US supplier. Anduril opened a full-rate solid rocket motor plant in McHenry, Mississippi, ending decades in which only Aerojet Rocketdyne and Northrop Grumman made these motors in the US. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/anduril-opens-full-rate-solid-rocket-motor-plant-in-mississippi-54810abc.md) · [original source](https://www.defenseone.com/business/2025/08/anduril-becomes-third-us-supplier-rocket-motors-company-says/407227/)) ## Current obstacles - **Qualification takes years**: A new motor must pass long safety and reliability tests before a missile program will use it, so plant capacity can run ahead of approved orders. - **Large motors at rate**: The 6,000 target counts small tactical motors. Anduril has live-fired a 21-inch Navy hypersonic motor, but large motors at rate are unproven. ## Physics limits - **Explosives handling**: Propellant is an explosive. Every mixing and casting step needs blast-safe buildings and distances, which caps how fast a site can grow. - **Energy per kilogram**: Solid propellants store less energy per kilogram than liquid rocket fuels. Range gains come mostly from denser loading and better metal fuels, in small steps. ## How it works ### Propellant: Fuel and oxidiser cast as one solid A tube of rubbery propellant holding fuel and oxidiser together. Once lit it burns to the end, so it needs no pumps and can sit ready for years. ### Mixing: Mixing is the slow step Propellant is mixed in batches, cast into the casing and cured. Anduril credits new mixing methods and robotic, modular lines for a tenfold output rise. ### Chemistry: Aluminium-lithium fuel Metal powder is the main fuel in most solid propellants. Anduril says its custom aluminium-lithium blend can stretch a missile's range by about 40%. ### Grain: Packing in more propellant A highly loaded grain fills more of the casing with propellant, so a missile flies farther. Anduril static-fired one built with RTX in 2025. ## Spec sheet | Spec | Solid rocket motors (McHenry, Mississippi) | Provenance | | --- | --- | --- | | Target output (end of 2026) | About 6,000 tactical motors a year | reported | | Output before the expansion | About 600 motors a year | reported | | Site | 450 acres, McHenry, Mississippi | reported | | Factory space renovated | 92,000 sq ft | reported | | Anduril's own investment | $75M | reported | | Defense Production Act awards | $14.3M + $43.7M | reported | | Motors test-fired (Jan 2024 to Aug 2025) | 700+ | reported | Provenance: reported = stated by the company; estimated = our estimate; sample = a sample figure. ## About Anduril Industries Anduril is a defense company building self-driving air, sea and land systems run by its Lattice software. Its Fury drone jet was picked for production by the US Air Force, and it builds aircraft at its Arsenal-1 factory in Ohio. - Fury first flew on 31 Oct 2025 and was picked for Air Force production in June 2026. - Started building Fury at Arsenal-1, Ohio, in 2026; the first Ohio-built Fury was done in July. - Raised $5B at a $61B valuation in May 2026, double its June 2025 valuation. - Founded: 2017 - Headquarters: US - Status: private - Valuation: $61B (private valuation, 2026-05) - Staff: ~7,000 - Raised: $9B - Last round: Series H $5B, May 2026 - Website: https://www.anduril.com - People: Palmer Luckey (Founder); Brian Schimpf (Co-founder and CEO); Trae Stephens (Co-founder and Executive Chairman) - Partners, customers, investors: U.S. Air Force (customer); General Atomics (partner); Archer Aviation (partner) Company page: https://technooptimist.io/companies/anduril.md ## Related programs More from Anduril Industries: - [YFQ-44A Fury](https://technooptimist.io/aviation/fury.md) (Deploy) - [Roadrunner](https://technooptimist.io/aviation/roadrunner.md) (Deploy) - [Arsenal-1](https://technooptimist.io/manufacturing/arsenal-1.md) (Deploy) - [Anvil](https://technooptimist.io/aviation/anvil.md) (Pilot) Everything in Manufacturing: https://technooptimist.io/manufacturing.md --- The Techno Optimist tracks every frontier of technology, program by program: https://technooptimist.io/ (a Markdown version of any page: add .md to its URL; site map for agents: https://technooptimist.io/llms.txt). 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