Italian rocket and missile manufacturer Avio is expanding its production of solid rocket motors (SRMs) to meet growing demand from the US Department of Defense (DoD). The Pentagon’s annual budget requests for missile and munitions procurement, as well as related research and development, increased from $9 billion in 2015 to $30.6 billion in 2024.
According to CEO Giulio Ranzo, Avio currently produces between 200 and 300 rockets annually at its Colleferro facility. This capacity is set to increase threefold in the next 4-5 years to aid US efforts to restock its domestic inventories and supply missiles to Ukraine and Israel.
Avio is also building a US-based production site to strengthen supply chains and diversify sourcing options in response to industry consolidation. Since Northrop Grumman acquired Orbital ATK in 2018, the US has had only two major SRM manufacturers: Northrop Grumman and Aerojet Rocketdyne.
This move follows news in July that Avio partnered with Raytheon Technologies (RTX) to build a US industrial base for critical SRMs. Avio also previously signed a deal with the US Army to develop and prototype an SRM for surface-to-air applications.
While it is unclear whether Avio will leverage additive manufacturing to scale its SRM capacity, it actively uses 3D printing to produce propulsion systems. Notably, the company possesses Velo3D Sapphire 3D printers which fabricate high-strength, corrosion and temperature-resistance parts in nickel-based alloy materials.
Additionally, Raytheon is a widespread adopter of additive manufacturing. The Virginia-based missile submitted 1,441 3D printing-related international patent family (IFP) applications between 2001 and 2020, second only to General Electric (GE).
Avio to expand SRM production for the DoD
This high demand for SRMs in the US is currently coupled with a lack of domestic suppliers, causing the DoD to turn to international manufacturers to top up production capacity.
Ranzo recently told Defense News that Avio will initially work to meet US demand at its Colleferro facility before opening the new US production site. He stated it will take approximately two more years to qualify its SRM products in Italy. The firm claims this approach will be faster and safer than waiting for the construction and qualification of the new facility.
For over 50 years, Avio has produced solid, liquid and cryogenic propulsion systems for tactical military missiles. It expanded its reach in the US market in 2022 with the launch of Avio USA, the firm’s US subsidiary.
Notably, Avio produces components for the Aster 30 surface-to-air missile, which is mainly operated by French, Italian and British militaries. The company has also designed, developed and qualified the solid-propellant rocket motor of the new CAMM-ER air defense missile in a contract with MBDA. Additionally, its core space business offers the Vega launcher, which has put 120 satellites into orbit over the last 12 years.
3D Printing Propulsion Systems
Avio could turn to its 3D printing capabilities to ramp up SRM production. Last year, the company acquired a Sapphire XC 1MZ 3D printer and an original Sapphire 3D printer. These systems are used in the development and production of the company’s propulsion systems.
Avio reportedly selected Velo3D’s technology due to its ability to fabricate high-quality parts with optimized geometries, ensuring superior performance. Through the large-format laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) 3D printers, the company seeks to optimize design quality and reduce the time to market for its products.
Velo3D claims that the design freedom offered by the Sapphire 3D printers allows Avio to achieve previously unattainable geometries. This reportedly reduces weight while improving performance and enhancing reliability for more efficient propulsion components.
3D printing missiles
Other companies are 3D printing missile systems to meet growing demand from the US DoD. For instance, rocket engine manufacturer Ursa Major is working with the US military to scale SRM production using its 3D printing-powered Lynx platform.
Last month, the firm became an inaugural recipient of the Office of Strategic Capital’s (OSC) investment to strengthen domestic defense supply chains. Using this funding, Ursa Major will mature its SRM 3D printing capabilities and design, manufacture, and test a new SRM prototype.
It was also announced earlier this year that Ursa Major had signed a contract with the US Navy to design, manufacture, and test a 3D printed solid rocket motor for the Standard Missile (SM) program. This project seeks to develop a new 3D printable design for the Mk 104 dual rocket motor, which powers the SM-2, SM-3, and SM-6 missiles.
Similarly, Aerojet Rocketdyne was awarded a $22 million DoD contract to produce a 3D printed hypersonic propulsion system prototype. The company expects to deliver the prototype within 36 months. It will streamline the production workflow by consolidating the essential steps of scramjet manufacturing.
The L3Harris Technologies subsidiary is developing the prototype for the DoD’s Growing Additive Manufacturing Maturity for Airbreathing Hypersonics (GAMMA-H) challenge. This programme forms part of the Pentagon’s efforts to identify and develop new production processes for hypersonic weapons.
Elsewhere, US Defense firm Lockheed Martin is currently 3D printing key components for its new Mako hypersonic missile. Metal additive manufacturing is being used to produce the jet-fired missile’s guidance section and fins, unlocking time and cost-savings in the process. The 3D printed missile guidance section is reportedly ten times faster to produce and just 1/10th the cost than using conventional manufacturing methods.
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Featured image shows a US Navy SM-6 missile. Photo via the US Navy.
