The US Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman a $178 million contract to expand the company’s Allegany Ballistics Laboratory in West Virginia.
The agreement will see the construction of a center that will develop modular solutions for international solid rocket motor and warhead projects.
Northrop wrote that the project will boost the lab’s capability to support future programs by doubling the supply chain capacity and securing production rates by 2026.
Upon its completion, the hub will employ advanced manufacturing methods for multiple products and streamline operations to decrease logistics burden and overall operational downtime.
“The Navy’s decision to entrust Northrop Grumman with expansion operations at [Allegany Ballistics Laboratory] in support of critical missile components such as rocket motors, warheads and fuzes, will bolster critical national security infrastructure,” Northrop Grumman’s Frank DeMauro stated.
Sustaining Energetics Production
According to the US, the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory is one of the two facilities in the country producing rocket motor “energetics,” which are propellant components used in high-volume rocket manufacturing.
“Expanding our capacity to produce critical munitions and their components, such as solid rocket motors and energetic materials, is critical to ensuring that our men and women in uniform have the tools they need to deter aggression and win,” West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito said.
“The Allegany Ballistics Laboratory is a critical piece of our defense industrial base, and I’m proud that such important components of our nation’s advanced weapons are built right here at home in West Virginia.”
“I look forward to seeing the positive impacts of this expansion project on U.S national security and the state of West Virginia.”
Recent Defense Facility Projects
Northrop launched a similar project in 2023 to support the production of advanced propulsion solutions for air defense systems. The facility, built in Maryland, supports the Pentagon’s ongoing long-range hypersonic missile programs.
The same year, the company completed the initial design review of a ground station enabling compatibility between legacy and modern satellites used in missile launch and warning operations.