Navy League 2025: Northrop Grumman modernises, expands SRM capacity

Northrop Grumman has been selected as a second source for Mk 72 SRMs to equip Raytheon's Standard Missile (SM) family. Above, an SM-3 is launched from USS Lake Erie (CG 70) during a test. (US Navy)

Northrop Grumman continues to modernise its solid rocket motor (SRM) capabilities and develop new propellants as demand grows. On 7 April the company received a contract from Raytheon for “some early requirements activities on the Mk 72, which is the first-stage booster for effectively the entire Standard Missile line”, Gordon LoPresti, senior director of propulsion systems and controls for Northrop Grumman, told Janes on the same day at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2025 annual conference and exposition in National Harbor, Maryland.

Nammo also received a contract, according to a Raytheon statement on 7 April. “The companies will verify design requirements and specifications and will complete a Systems Requirements Review to further refine and validate design concepts,” the statement said. “The goal of this initial phase is to demonstrate that these suppliers can successfully execute the requirements and production ramp-up needed before moving forward with further development and qualification” as part of efforts to strengthen the SRM supplier base, Raytheon said.

The Mk 72 is also expected to be used on other missiles that would be launched from the Vertical Launch System (VLS), LoPresti added. Northrop Grumman has been working under a small contract with the US Navy on related activities for the Mk 72 for more than a year, he noted. “We've got things moving in the same direction relative to standing up a Mk 72” production capability as a second source, LoPresti said.

Modernisation