The DoW announced today the latest in a series of investments in the solid rocket motor industrial base: an April 20, 2026, investment of $27.3 million in DPA Title III funds to Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials Company (PacSci EMC), in Chandler, Arizona. It supports DoW's objectives to expand the munitions industrial base, bolster supply chain resiliency, and increase domestic production in strategic priority areas.
"The DoW is focused on rapidly expanding and accelerating munitions production, driving a surge in demand for SRMs," said Michael Duffey, the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment. "Strengthening supply chains through smart investments will help alleviate SRM shortfalls by increasing capacity and reducing manufacturing lead times for key components."
Since December 2024, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy (OASW(IBP)) has made nine investments in the solid rocket motor (SRM) industrial base under a recent Defense Industrial Base Consortium Other Transaction Agreement (DIBC OTA) solicitation totaling $191 million in Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III funds.
PacSci EMC will use their investment funds to expand the production of the universal Arm Fire Device (AFD), a critical safety component in SRM applications, by scaling up proven production capabilities to serve high-volume manufacturing needs for SRM programs. The company will create a fully integrated manufacturing facility that houses all necessary production and support processes, thereby enhancing operational efficiency, reducing potential errors, and streamlining delivery systems.
The prior SRM investments made under the same DIBC OTA solicitation include:
- A $5 million investment in Systima Technologies Inc., part of Karman Space & Defense, to increase SRM nozzle production capacity.
- A $27.7 million investment in R.E. Darling Co., Inc. to establish expanded capacity and a modernized manufacturing capability for SRM case insulation materials.
- A $12.6 million investment in Americarb Inc. to develop a solution for converting woven rayon fabric into carbonized rayon phenolic, a crucial polymeric ablative material utilized for insulating rocket nozzles in SRMs.
- A $20.9 million investment in General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems to increase SRM nozzle production capacity and capability, becoming a new supplier for composite rocket nozzles and insulators.
- A $5.1 million investment in SPARC Research LLC to establish a dedicated and affordable supply of rocket motor components for the SRM industrial base, supporting improvements to high-performance propulsion systems.
- A $9.3 million investment in ICF Mercantile LLC to establish the first domestic production source of rayon filament cellulose precursor rayon, which will in turn support the production of Carbon Phenolic Ablatives used in SRM and Re-Entry Body heatshields.
- A $25.2 million investment in Materials Resources LLC to demonstrate SRM prototype production capability that will provide the Department with agile production of SRM metallic cases via additive manufacturing using MRL's scalable manufacturing cells.
- A $58 million investment in Anduril Industries, Inc. to modernize and expand its SRM production by modifying existing production facilities and improving the manufacturing processes by which it produces SRMs.
