The US Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman a $94.3-million contract to develop and qualify a second-stage solid rocket motor (SSRM) to support a range of extended-range missile programs. The effort is aimed at boosting missile speed, reach, and overall performance across multiple naval missions.
Under the contract, Northrop Grumman will manufacture 60 SSRM units for testing and low-rate initial production at its Propulsion Innovation Center in Elkton, Maryland. The 21-inch-diameter motor is designed to enhance propulsion performance for missiles supporting air, surface, land-attack, and ballistic missile defense missions, including systems intended to counter emerging hypersonic threats.
The US Navy has indicated that the extended-range propulsion solution could be adapted for use across multiple missile platforms, providing a common upgrade path for future weapons. This flexibility aligns with broader Department of Defense goals to rapidly field scalable, modular missile technologies.
The SSRM program adds to Northrop Grumman’s expanding hypersonic and advanced propulsion portfolio. The company plays a central role in US hypersonic defense efforts, including the Missile Defense Agency’s Glide Phase Interceptor program and cooperative development initiatives with Japan. To meet rising demand, Northrop is expanding production capacity across its US facilities, tripling small tactical motor output in West Virginia, doubling large motor production in Utah, and increasing manufacturing capacity in Maryland by 25 percent to support next-generation hypersonic propulsion systems.
