Defense contractor L3Harris Technologies Inc. of Melbourne, Florida, on Thursday held a groundbreaking ceremony for project to modernize and expand production at its Camden campus.
The project, which calls for four new rocket motor production facilities, is part of a $215.6 million agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to increase domestic rocket propulsion manufacturing capacity.
Production is expanding to meet growing demand for tactical and strategic missile capabilities, L3Harris said in a news release. The U.S. is investing in new missile systems amid rising geopolitical tensions, regional conflicts and the need to counter potential threats from countries like China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.
Construction in Camden will include a 60,000-SF facility that will centralize production of a key program under one roof, cutting the distance motors travel during manufacturing by 80%, according to the release. The expansion will also include a dedicated mixer building, as well as complementary propellant processing buildings to support increased motor production.
“Expanding solid rocket motor production in Arkansas is a strategic investment in our nation’s security at a time when defense and deterrence are increasingly critical on the global stage,” Ken Bedingfield, president of L3Harris and subsidiary Aerojet Rocketdyne. “Our propulsion is a key enabler of the ‘Arsenal of Democracy 2.0,’ and L3Harris is committed to ramping up production to support the defense of our nation, its allies and partners.”
New tooling and equipment have already contributed to increased motor production at the Camden campus.
Publicly traded L3Harris (NYSE: LHX) is also modernizing and expanding solid rocket motor facilities in two additional states. The company plans to build new facilities in Orange County, Virginia, to support increased production and will transition production of inert components for critical missile systems to Huntsville, Alabama.
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