The Department of Defense awarded $14.3 million to Anduril Industries, Inc. of Costa Mesa, California on January 7, 2025, under Title III of the Defense Production Act to modernize and expand solid rocket motor production. The funding will support modifications to existing production facilities and manufacturing processes at the Geisler Building at Anduril’s facility in McHenry, Mississippi, where energetics work, casting, curing, quality assurance, and final assembly will take place. The award builds on $75 million in private capital investment already committed by Anduril.
What it means
The DoD award, administered by the Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization directorate’s DPA Purchases Office, is directed at increasing domestic production capacity for solid rocket motor systems to meet what the department described as critical demand for current and future U.S. systems. Dr. Laura Taylor-Kale, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, said the combined capital will expand Anduril’s capacity for designing, producing, and testing solid rocket motor systems and provide domestic manufacturing capabilities to meet that demand.
According to Anthony Di Stasio, Director of the MCEIP directorate, the effort will streamline solid rocket motor production by designing a family of processes intended to cut costs, increase manufacturing speed, and improve product quality, making development of new solid rocket motors more affordable, faster, and less prone to non-conformances. The award is aligned with the 2024 National Defense Industrial Strategy’s objective to bolster supply chain resiliency and increase domestic production. It is one of five awards the DPA Purchases Office has made across multiple areas since the beginning of fiscal year 2025, totaling $290.8 million combined.
Key facts
- $14.3 million — DoD award to Anduril Industries via Title III of the Defense Production Act
- $75 million — Anduril’s private capital investment the award builds upon
- $290.8 million — total of five DPA Purchases Office awards since the start of fiscal year 2025
- Facility: Geisler Building, Anduril facility, McHenry, Mississippi
- Activities at facility: energetics work, casting, curing, quality assurance, final assembly
- Administering office: Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization directorate, DPA Purchases Office
- Authority: Defense Production Act, Title III
- Announcement date: January 7, 2025
Source: Department of Defense DPA Purchases Office contract announcement (war.gov)