Anduril set to drastically expand solid-rocket motor production

An SM-6 launched by guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53) in June 2014. Anduril recently received a contract to develop a new second-stage rocket motor for the SM-6. (US Navy)

Anduril is expanding its solid-rocket motor production facility in McHenry, Mississippi, to meet increased demand. The company is investing more than USD75 million to increase annual propellant mixing and solid-rocket motor production capacity from 600 to more than 6,000 tactical-scale solid-rocket motors, Anduril said in a statement on 10 June.

The investment enables a significant expansion of the Mississippi Solid Rocket Motor Complex, a 450 acre propellant mixing and solid-rocket motor production facility that is certified to handle and produce millions of pounds of explosives, Anduril told Janes on 12 June. The expansion is expected to be completed in the boreal summer of 2025.

The project is receiving assistance from the Mississippi Development Authority through Mississippi's Flexible Tax Incentive Plan, as well as building and site improvements, the company said.

Anduril is renovating 92,000 sq ft (8,547 m²) of factory space, installing advanced robotics equipment and modular manufacturing systems that will enable the production of rocket motors faster and at lower cost than traditional suppliers, Anduril claimed in the statement.

The company has “a proven, demonstrated approach to manufacturing that leverages novel approaches to propellant mixing to enable large-scale solid-rocket motor production. That approach leverages proprietary technology that makes our manufacturing process significantly faster and more efficient than techniques used by legacy solid-rocket motor manufacturers, increasing supply and reducing costs while enhancing quality”, the company told Janes.