Aerojet gets $215 million to boost production of solid rocket motors used in weapons for Ukraine

The Pentagon announced that the Defence Department has agreed to provide Aerojet Rocketdyne $215.6 million to expand its rocket propulsion manufacturing facilities in order to speed up the production of missiles for Ukraine.

Aerojet Rocketdyne, headquartered in El Segundo, California, makes rocket engines and propulsion systems for space vehicles, ballistic missiles, and military tactical weapons, according to Space News.

The agreement was announced by DoD’s Office of Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritisation (MCEIP), which manages the department’s strategic investments in industrial base capabilities under the Defence Production Act.

The contract with Aerojet was funded by the Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act that Congress passed last year to help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion that started in February 2022.

Aerojet will use the funds to expand and modernise facilities in Camden, Arkansas; Huntsville, Alabama; and Orange County, Virginia, where the company manufactures rocket propulsion systems.