The U.S. Department of War has awarded $39.6 million to three companies to strengthen the nation’s solid rocket motor (SRM) production base. The funds, granted under Title III of the Defense Production Act (DPA), go to additive manufacturing specialist Materials Resources LLC (MRL) of Ohio; materials processing specialist ICF Mercantile LLC (ICF) of New Jersey; and U.S. defense contractor SPARC Research of Virginia. This initiative underscores the Department’s broader objectives of expanding domestic manufacturing, securing critical supply chains, and enhancing U.S. capabilities in defense-related technologies.
“These strategic investments in our solid rocket motor industrial base are crucial to ensuring the Department of War continues to have access to the munition propulsion systems required for our national security,” said Michael Duffey, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment. “By partnering with industry through the Defense Production Act, we are strengthening the resilience of our supply chains and growing domestic manufacturing capacity that is vital to maintaining our technological edge.”
How the Awards Will Be Used
The largest share of funding, $25.2 million, will go to MRL to advance prototype production of SRM metallic cases. The company plans to leverage additive manufacturing and scalable production cells, enabling flexible and efficient production that can quickly adapt to different materials and designs.
ICF has been allocated $9.3 million to establish the nation’s first domestic source of rayon filament cellulose precursor rayon. This material is a key component in Carbon Phenolic Ablatives, which are vital for both SRMs and re-entry body heatshields. ICF’s process is built on Ionic Liquid technology, an environmentally safe method that is expected to increase rayon fiber output and lower overall costs.
Finally, SPARC will receive $5.1 million to develop a dedicated supply of SRM components that will help improve advanced propulsion systems.
With these awards, the Department has now made four investments in the SRM sector under the Defense Industrial Base Consortium OTA, totaling $53.9 million. More broadly, since the start of fiscal year 2025, the DPA Purchases Office has directed $777.1 million across 14 projects, supported by an additional $88 million in cost sharing. Oversight of these initiatives falls under the Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP) directorate, within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy.
Additive Manufacturing Rises as a Cornerstone of Defense Innovation
The U.S. Department of War has shown growing interest in additive manufacturing for security strategies, requesting $3.3 billion in its $1 trillion FY 2026 budget to fund 16 projects. The budget allocates $58.4 million for DARPA’s Additive Manufacturing of MicrosystEms (AMEE) and OSD’s Additive Manufacturing Innovation programs, which explicitly focus on 3D printing technology.
Elsewhere, American shipbuilder Austal USA purchased an ARCEMY Small Edition metal 3D printer from Australia’s AML3D in a deal worth approximately AU$1.2 million (USD$0.78 million). AML3D’s proprietary Wire Additive Manufacturing (WAM) technology powers the system, which will be installed at the U.S. Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE).
Last month, composite 3D printing company Continuous Composites (CCI) was awarded a multi-year, multi-million-dollar contract from the U.S. Air Force. Through the agreement, the Idaho-based company will advance the development of high-performance composite materials using its proprietary Continuous Fiber 3D (CF3D) technology.
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Featured image shows Testing an Ursa Major SRM. Photo via Ursa Major.
