Department of War Awards $33.5 Million to Increase Solid Rocket Motor Capacity and Capability

Sept. 26, 2025 |

Today, the Department of War announced two Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III awards totaling $33.5 million to expand the solid rocket motor (SRM) industrial base. The awardees are Americarb. Inc. (Americarb) in Niagara Falls, New York and General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS) in Lincoln, Nebraska. These awards support the Department of War's objectives to expand the munitions industrial base, bolster supply chain resiliency, and increase domestic production in strategic priority areas.

"To meet the evolving threats of tomorrow, we must expand our capacity to produce the critical subcomponents that underpin our munitions systems," said Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey. "By advancing resiliency in the solid rocket motor supply chain, we're not only strengthening our defense industrial base but also helping to ensure a reliable and scalable supply of the materials and components crucial to our national security."

Using DPA Title III funds, the two new awardees will strengthen SRM production capability by modernizing existing facilities and improving manufacturing processes:

• DOW awarded Americarb $12.6 million to develop a solution for converting woven rayon fabric into carbonized rayon phenolic (CRP). CRP is a crucial polymeric ablative material utilized for insulating rocket nozzles in SRMs that are key for tactical missile, hypersonic, and strategic programs. Americarb will provide a prototype process and demonstrate the production of CRP to enhance DoD's supply chain resilience for this critical material.
• DOW awarded GD-OTS $20.9 million to increase SRM nozzle production capacity and capability, becoming a new supplier for composite rocket nozzles and insulators. The main technologies supported by the investment are tape wrapping and high-rate material handling technologies. These technologies, supplemented with GD-OTS' wide knowledge base of composite processing, will focus on throughput and quality for nozzle fabrication. GD-OTS' ability to manufacture components in-house can bring overall system-level lead times down, increase industry annual production capacity, and assist in the replenishment of the nozzle supply chain.

This announcement brings the total number of DPA Title III awards made to the SRM industrial base under a recent Defense Industrial Base Consortium Other Transaction Agreement (DIBC OTA) solicitation to six, for a total of $87.3 million.

These are two of 16 investments made by the DPA Purchases Office totaling $811.5 million since the beginning of fiscal year 2025. These investments are complemented by $88 million in total recipient cost shares since the beginning of FY 2025. The DPA Purchases Office is overseen by the Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP) directorate in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy (OASW(IBP)).

About the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy (OASW(IBP)

The OASW(IBP) works with domestic and international partners to forge and sustain a robust, secure, and resilient industrial base enabling the warfighter, now and in the future. OASW(IBP) also utilizes a new Defense Industrial Base Consortium Other Transaction Agreement (DIBC OTA) to solicit new ideas for research or prototype project solutions for critical Supply Chain Resiliency Focus Areas. It underscores the Department's ongoing dedication to safeguarding the integrity of our crucial supply chain and furnishing our warfighters with materials and technologies promptly. To learn more about the DIBC OTA, please visit: https://www.dibconsortium.org.

Department of War Awards $39.6 Million to Expand Solid Rocket Motor Industrial Base

 Sept. 12, 2025 |

The Department of War today announced three awards totaling $39.6 million to expand the solid rocket motor (SRM) industrial base via Title III of the Defense Production Act (DPA). The awardees are Materials Resources LLC (MRL) in Xenia, Ohio; ICF Mercantile LLC (ICF) in Warren, New Jersey; and SPARC Research LLC (SPARC) in Warrenton, Virginia. These awards support the Department of War's objectives to expand the munitions industrial base, bolster supply chain resiliency, and increase domestic production in strategic priority areas.  

"These strategic investments in our solid rocket motor industrial base are crucial to ensuring the Department of War continues to have access to the munition propulsion systems required for our national security," said Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey. "By partnering with industry through the Defense Production Act, we are strengthening the resilience of our supply chains and growing domestic manufacturing capacity that is vital to maintaining our technological edge."

Using DPA Title III funds, the three new awardees will strengthen SRM production capability by modernizing existing facilities and improving manufacturing processes:

• MRL was awarded $25.2 million to demonstrate SRM prototype production capability that will provide the Department with agile production of SRM metallic cases via additive manufacturing using MRL's scalable manufacturing cells. MRL plans to use a phased approach to demonstrate agile, horizontally scalable SRM case manufacturing. The ability to switch materials and component designs routinely and quickly is a key feature of MRL's proposed manufacturing capabilities.
• ICF was awarded $9.3 million to establish the first domestic production source of rayon filament cellulose precursor rayon, which will in turn support the production of Carbon Phenolic Ablatives used in SRM and Re-Entry Body (RB) heatshields. ICF's solution is based on Ionic Liquid (IL) technology that is an environmentally safe precursor for fiber cellulose production. This will also increase the capacity for rayon fibers and lower material costs for SRM production.
• SPARC was awarded $5.1 million to establish a dedicated and affordable supply of rocket motor components for the SRM industrial base. The components produced will support improvements to high performance propulsion systems.  

This announcement brings the total number of DPA Title III awards made to the SRM industrial base under a recent Defense Industrial Base Consortium Other Transaction Agreement (DIBC OTA) solicitation to four, for a total of $53.9 million.

These are three of 14 investments made by the DPA Purchases Office totaling $777.1 million since the beginning of fiscal year 2025. These investments are complemented by $88 million in total recipient cost shares since the beginning of FY 2025. The DPA Purchases Office is overseen by the Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP) directorate in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy (OASW(IBP).  

About the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy (OASW(IBP) 

The OASW(IBP) works with domestic and international partners to forge and sustain a robust, secure, and resilient industrial base enabling the warfighter, now and in the future. OASW(IBP) also utilizes a new Defense Industrial Base Consortium Other Transaction Agreement (DIBC OTA) to solicit new ideas for research or prototype project solutions for critical Supply Chain Resiliency Focus Areas. It underscores the Department's ongoing dedication to safeguarding the integrity of our crucial supply chain and furnishing our warfighters with materials and technologies promptly. To learn more about the DIBC OTA, please visit: https://www.dibconsortium.org.