Northrop Grumman [NOC] has received a full-rate production contract from the Army to continue delivering its insensitive munitions (IM0 rocket motors for the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) program, the company said Monday.
The latest deal arrives after Northrop Grumman successfully completed final flights tests for its IM rocket motors this summer, which officials said demonstrated the system’s ability to offer increased warfighter safety for operators of the Lockheed Martin [LMT]-built GMLRS.
Photo: Lockheed Martin.
“Northrop Grumman was able to introduce all the safety benefits of IM technology and retain the rocket motor’s performance, without significantly changing the current design of the missile,” officials said in a statement. “Reduced sensitivity propellants, low-cost composite cases designed for high volume manufacturing and passive thermal mitigation systems are part of Northrop Grumman’s IM propulsion systems that replace or enhance legacy systems, without sacrificing effectiveness or reliability.”
Northrop Grumman did not disclose the contract amount for the deal or the number of rocket motors included in the other.
The Army awarded Northrop Grumman an initial deal for IM rocket motors in January, with the full-rate production deal arriving after completing flight tests.
Northrop Grumman has also announced plans to open a new Large Tactical Motor Manufacturing facility this fall at the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory in Rocket Center, West Virginia.
“The demand for rocket motors across the services has increased. In order to meet the higher demand for tactical propulsion, particularly with our new insensitive munitions rocket motors for the U.S. Army, we needed to expand our operations. Our new facilities will create a flexible and efficient production line that leverage lean manufacturing techniques and can help lower production costs,” Pat Nolan, Northrop’s vice president and general manager of missile products, told Defense Daily.