By Tiffany Williams –
The Department of War has awarded $39.6 million to three companies to expand the nation’s solid rocket motor industrial base under Title III of the Defense Production Act. Materials Resources LLC in Ohio, ICF Mercantile LLC in New Jersey, and SPARC Research LLC in Virginia will use the funds to modernize facilities, improve manufacturing processes, and increase domestic production of key SRM components.
Materials Resources gets $25.2 million to demonstrate agile, scalable production of SRM metallic cases using additive manufacturing. ICF was awarded $9.3 million to establish the first U.S. production of rayon filament cellulose precursor, critical for carbon phenolic ablatives used in SRMs and heatshields, while SPARC received $5.1 million to produce rocket motor components supporting high-performance propulsion systems.
“These strategic investments in our solid rocket motor industrial base are crucial to ensuring the Department of War continues to have access to the munition propulsion systems required for our national security,” said Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey.
This latest round brings the total of DPA Title III awards under a recent Defense Industrial Base Consortium Other Transaction Agreement to four, totaling $53.9 million. Since the start of FY 2025, the DPA Purchases Office has made 14 investments totaling $777.1 million, complemented by $88 million in recipient cost shares. The program is overseen by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy, which seeks to bolster supply chain resiliency and ensure warfighters have timely access to critical materials.