L3Harris has announced a further billion-dollar expansion of its solid rocket motor (SRM) production facility in Orange County, Virginia.
Serving as the company’s Center of Excellence for Propellant Research and Small- to Medium-sized Solid Rocket Motor Production, the Virginia site has a 256,000-square-foot (23,783-square-meter) manufacturing area.
The Virginia Advanced Propulsion Facilities will be added under an approximately $1.27 billion investment. It is expected to more than double the manufacturing space and supporting operations including mixing, grinding, casting, and final assembly.
The center is intended to address the increasing demand for SRMs, which power critical systems like the PAC-3 missiles and THAAD interceptors, as well as rocket artillery such as the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS).
The announcement follows a proposed partnership in January between the Pentagon and L3Harris’ newly created Missile Solutions unit to scale SRM production.
SRM Production Support
L3Harris is also modernizing its other SRM production facilities.
This includes expansions at its Camden, Arkansas, hub, where the company began construction for the Arkansas Advanced Propulsion Facilities in November 2025 to raise large SRM manufacturing capacity by six-fold.
The defense contractor also opened an extensive SRM production facility at its Huntsville, Alabama, site to ensure a steady SRM supply for the Pentagon’s needs, including those for the Golden Dome.
“L3Harris’ continued investments in solid rocket motor facilities are bolstering manufacturing capacity for key national defense programs,” said Ken Bedingfield, President of Missile Solutions at L3Harris.
