Two American companies are set to increase the production of a critical type of motor used in the Standard Missile program.
Raytheon has joined hands with Avio USA to fast-track production of the Mk 104 dual-thrust rocket motor.
The two companies have executed a purchase order for funding of up to $26 million for continued engineering work on the Mk 104 dual-thrust rocket motor.
Availability of the Mk 104 rocket motor
“This purchase order represents an important step in expanding our supply chain to ensure the resilience and availability of the Mk 104 rocket motor,” said Barbara Borgonovi, president of Naval Power at Raytheon.
“By strategically implementing second sourcing for critical materials, we are not only enhancing our ability to meet customer demand but also strengthening our production capacity for the Standard Missile franchise.”
The purchase order comes 13 months after the businesses signed a contract for preliminary engineering work on the Mk 104 rocket motor. This project secures funding through the Critical Design Review phase, procurement of long lead material for qualification, and will enable increased and accelerated capacity for solid rocket motor production, according to a press release.
Accelerated production capacity
New funding will support accelerated production capacity for critical solid rocket motors.
VADM (Ret.) James Syring, CEO Avio USA, stated that the company is proud to continue work on Mk 104, which is so critical to the United States and its allies.
“We look forward to advancing the motor through full qualification and into production in the future,” added Syring.
The companies earlier successfully completed both a System Requirements Review and a Preliminary Design Review, establishing a solid foundation for the next phases of development and production.
“Avio is happy to support Avio USA on the Mk 104 activities, providing its longstanding expertise on SRM engineering, material characterization, laboratory and fire testing, sourcing and motor integration with the aim to ultimately support Raytheon’s accelerated ability to deliver to their end customers,” said Giulio Ranzo, CEO of Avio SpA.
The dual-thrust rocket motor is a critical component for Standard Missile. The weapon’s current version is the SM-6 missile system that includes three missiles in one unit.
The SM-6 missile has demonstrated the ability to hit a surface target, and it can strike from any ship or location, supporting the Navy’s pursuit of sea control.
The weapon can perform anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare and ballistic missile defense or sea-based terminal missions.
The Navy’s signature system fuses the best missile technology available into a modern weapon. And because it offers navies more flexibility in limited ship space, it’s enabling the U.S. and its allies to cost-effectively increase the offensive might of surface forces.
The weapon can protect ships against ballistic missiles in their final phase of flight.