DoD awards Anduril USD14.3 million to bolster SRM production

Anduril has partnered with FlackTek to develop and build a mixing machine known as Mega FlackTek, shown above, which Anduril says will enable faster, more flexible production of solid rocket fuel. (Anduril)

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded Anduril Industries USD14.3 million under Title III of the Defense Production Act (DPA) to increase production of solid rocket motors (SRMs). The funding builds on USD75 million of private Anduril investment to increase production capacity at the company's facility in McHenry, Mississippi, for the design, production, and testing of SRMs, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy Laura Taylor-Kale said in a DoD statement on 7 January.

The DPA Title III funding will support Anduril's work to modernise and expand existing SRM production facilities and improve manufacturing processes at its Geisler low-rate initial production facility in McHenry, the statement said. The initiative is intended to enhance Anduril's ability to accept new development and qualification work as well as deliver critical munitions at scale. It supports the National Defense Industry Strategy's “objective to bolster supply chain resiliency and increase domestic production in strategic priority areas”, according to the DoD.

Anduril is using the investment to “develop and qualify next-generation SRMs that demonstrate its innovative manufacturing technologies, like bladeless speed-mixing, single-piece flow, and advanced manufacturing technologies”, the company said in a 7 January statement. It will also contribute to existing work to “design, build, and test second-stage rocket motors for programmes of record and other large-scale weapons, including the US Navy's Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) programme”, the statement added.

The company also supplies “sub-20 inch diameter rocket motors to several other DoD programmes and customers”, Anduril noted in a June 2024 statement.