Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics to build their own rocket motors (updated)

Minnova

13/08/2024 18:23

(Adds details throughout)
       Aug 13 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin said on Tuesday it
had signed an agreement with peer General Dynamics to build
solid rocket motors, which propel missiles, amid surging demand
driven by conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. 
    Efforts to replenish U.S. inventory are also driving the
global demand for missiles and a shortage of rocket motors could
pressure production.
        Starting in 2025, General Dynamics  GD.N  will start
producing solid rocket motors, used to propel missiles, for the
Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) at its Camden,
Arkansas facility. 
  
        Lockheed Martin  LMT.N , which builds GMLRS, is 
    ramping up
     deliveries from 10,000 in 2024 to 14,000 in 2025. 
  
        Much sought-after and relatively inexpensive, rocket
motors have been supplied mainly by Northrop  NOC.N  and
L3Harris Technologies  LHX.N  in the past. 
        However, startup rocket maker Ursa Major has also
attracted interest from the Pentagon, which is seeking to widen
its supplier base beyond these two dominant companies.
  

 (Reporting by Pratyush Thakur in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi
Majumdar and Pooja Desai)
 ((pratyush.thakur@thomsonreuters.com;))