Construction is underway on Nammo's $200 million rocket-motor factory in Perry, Florida. Site clearing began in March 2026, and in October crews started pouring concrete for the propellant laboratory, the first new building due to come online.
Nammo's October 2025 groundbreaking targeted operations by the end of 2027; its construction updates now point to early 2028. Parsons manages design and construction under a $100 million-plus contract, with Hensel Phelps as general contractor, and the plant is to add 200 jobs in a county that lost 700 in earlier years. The wider U.S. buildout is moving too: L3Harris opened a Camden, Arkansas, motor plant on Oct. 20 that it says will double its solid-rocket-motor capacity.
Why it matters
Rocket motors are the bottleneck in U.S. missile production; this factory is one of the few new domestic lines being built to break it.
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Key Indicators
$100M+
Parsons task order value
Design plus program/construction management for Nammo's new Perry rocket-motor facility.
2 years
Construction period cited for Parsons' scope
The award frames execution around a two-year construction window.
$200M
Reported size of Nammo's Perry expansion
Local reporting in March 2026 pegged the build-out as a $200 million facility with 200 new jobs.
Early 2028
Current target for Perry rocket-motor operations
Nammo's October 2025 groundbreaking release and Hensel Phelps' project page said the end of 2027. Nammo's October 2026 update, issued as concrete went in for the propellant laboratory, said early 2028.
$215.6M
DPA Title III propulsion capacity boost (baseline comparator)
A major federal cooperative agreement used to modernize and expand U.S. rocket-motor capacity.
$75M
New-entrant SRM plant investment (Anduril)
A sign the U.S. is trying to break legacy dependence by adding new suppliers.
200
New jobs at Nammo Perry
The expansion will add 200 permanent jobs, plus 150 construction jobs through completion.
NOK 50B
Nammo record order backlog (FY2025)
Nammo closed fiscal 2025 with a record NOK 50 billion order backlog, driving its capacity investments.
19 events
Latest: October 28th, 2026 · 2 weeks ago
Showing 8 of 19
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October 2026
Firehawk raises more than $150 million for motor and missile plants
LatestInvestment
Firehawk Defense said its Series D round, led by Advent International and Rochefort Asset Management, would fund its propellant and tactical rocket motor campus in Lawton, Oklahoma, and a missile integration facility in Mississippi.
L3Harris opens Camden rocket-motor plant built to double capacity
Capacity Expansion
L3Harris opened its Arsenal of Freedom facility in Camden, Arkansas, to make solid rocket motors for GMLRS rockets. The company said the plant is designed to double its existing solid rocket motor capacity.
Raytheon says critical munitions output up more than 90%
Production
RTX CEO Chris Calio said Raytheon's output across critical munitions rose more than 90% year over year in the first nine months of 2026. He identified rocket motors among the supply constraints facing the company.
Concrete pouring starts for propellant laboratory at Perry
Construction
Nammo began pouring concrete for the propellant laboratory building foundation, the first of the new buildings to become operational. Factory expected operational in early 2028.
May 2026
Nammo expansion under construction, 200 jobs coming to Taylor County
Local Impact
WCTV reported the expansion is under construction, generating 150 construction jobs, with 200 permanent jobs to follow. Construction expected to finish in 2027, operations in 2028.
March 2026
Nammo confirms Perry rocket motor site on schedule
Construction
Nammo said clearing and groundwork operations were well underway to ready the Perry site for the new rocket-motor factory, expected operational by end of 2027.
Site clearing begins on Nammo Perry's $200 million facility
Construction
Perry Newspapers reported major site clearing underway for the new $200 million rocket-motor production facility in Taylor County, which will create 200 new jobs.
January 2026
Nammo names Hensel Phelps general contractor for Perry
Contract
Nammo announced on January 12, 2026 that Hensel Phelps had been chosen as general contractor for the Perry rocket-motor factory, with the contract managed by Parsons. Hensel Phelps later reported clearing and groundwork progressing toward vertical construction.
2026
Nammo reports record NOK 50 billion order backlog
Financial
Nammo closed fiscal 2025 with a record NOK 50 billion order backlog, driving investments in new production capacity including the Perry factory.
December 2025
Parsons wins $100M+ task order for Perry rocket-motor facility build
Contract
Parsons disclosed a task order exceeding $100M from Nammo for design and construction/program management of the Perry facility.
November 2025
L3Harris doubles down with a major Arkansas expansion
Capacity Expansion
Reuters reported L3Harris planned a $400M investment to expand solid rocket motor production capacity in Camden, Arkansas.
October 2025
Nammo breaks ground in Perry
Construction
Reporting said Nammo held a groundbreaking for a new rocket-motor factory in Perry, targeting operations by end of 2027.
August 2025
Local reporting sizes Perry’s build-out and stakes
Local Impact
Florida Trend described a $130M Nammo expansion in Perry, including a rocket-motor production plant and multiple new buildings.
A new U.S. SRM supplier breaks the duopoly
Market Shift
Reuters reported Anduril opened an SRM facility in Mississippi, becoming a third U.S. SRM supplier amid surging demand.
April 2025
Raytheon dual-sources early work on a key rocket motor
Procurement
Raytheon awarded Nammo and Northrop Grumman contracts for initial MK72 solid rocket motor development work.
August 2024
Lockheed and General Dynamics move to make their own motors
Supply Chain
Reuters reported a partnership to produce solid rocket motors for GMLRS, reflecting pressure to diversify beyond incumbents.
May 2024
Nammo and Raytheon signal a new U.S. rocket-motor source
Partnership
Reporting tied Nammo’s Perry expansion to Raytheon demand, positioning Perry as an independent domestic SRM source with a 2027 target.
September 2023
DoD backs a new SRM supplier path for hypersonics
Industrial Policy
DoD announced a $64M award to X-Bow to expand SRM capacity and lower costs for hypersonic-class motors.
April 2023
Pentagon funds a major rocket-motor capacity build
Industrial Policy
Aerojet Rocketdyne entered a $215.6M cooperative agreement to modernize and expand solid rocket motor manufacturing for key missile programs.
Scenarios
1
Perry Comes Online in 2027, Becomes a Stable “Merchant” Rocket-Motor Source
Likely
Discussed by: Nammo and Raytheon statements amplified by trade and local business reporting; Parsons’ contract disclosure
Construction stays close to plan, staffing ramps up, and qualification milestones clear without major rework. The payoff is less glamorous than a new missile program but more decisive: a reliable domestic motor line that can feed Raytheon and other customers, easing one of the hardest constraints in missile production and giving the Pentagon another lever during surges.
2
The Factory Gets Built—But Motor Qualification Slows Real Output
Possible
Discussed by: Defense industrial-base coverage highlighting the gap between building capacity and certifying energetics
The buildings rise, but “making motors” turns out to be the easy part. Qualification, safety approvals, and process repeatability create a slower ramp than the ribbon-cutting implied. The facility exists on paper, yet usable, high-rate production arrives later—pushing meaningful relief out by quarters or years.
3
Demand Keeps Spiking—Perry Triggers a Second Expansion Wave
Possible
Discussed by: Reuters coverage of new entrants and big-ticket capacity investments across the SRM ecosystem
Instead of stabilizing, demand broadens—air defense, naval missiles, and long-range fires all pull on the same propulsion supply. In that world, Perry isn’t just a fix; it’s a template. Nammo and partners pursue follow-on buildings, more test capacity, and longer-term offtake-style commitments from primes, turning Perry into a multi-customer propulsion hub.
4
Budgets Tighten, Wars Cool, and New Rocket-Motor Capacity Sits Underused
Unlikely
Discussed by: Industry skeptics who point to boom-bust cycles after past surge periods
If procurement slows, the U.S. can end up with more motor capacity than near-term orders can absorb. The facility still matters as “insurance,” but utilization drops, hiring slows, and the industrial-base story shifts from “build fast” to “keep warm” so the line doesn’t go cold again.
Historical Context
3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
1 of 3
1940-1945
World War II’s “Arsenal of Democracy” Factory Sprint
The U.S. converted civilian industry and rapidly built capacity to produce ships, aircraft, vehicles, and munitions at a scale that overwhelmed adversaries. Success depended less on single wonder-weapons and more on repeatable production, standardized parts, and relentless throughput.
Then
U.S. and allied forces gained decisive logistical and production advantage.
Now
Industrial mobilization became a lasting model for surge manufacturing in crises.
Why this matters now
Perry fits the same logic: the constraint isn’t ideas—it’s factories and throughput.
2 of 3
1991-2015
Post–Cold War Drawdown and the “Atrophy Trap” in Munitions Capacity
After the Cold War, demand signals weakened, production lines consolidated, and surge capacity thinned. Specialized suppliers became fewer, and “single points of failure” crept into critical components that looked mundane—until they were needed fast.
Then
Lower costs and fewer redundant lines, but less resilience.
Now
A fragile industrial base that struggled to surge when new conflicts erupted.
Why this matters now
The rush to expand rocket-motor capacity is partly a reversal of that long consolidation.
3 of 3
1950-1965
The 1950s Missile Age: Building a New Propulsion Industry From Scratch
Early Cold War missile programs forced rapid advances in propulsion manufacturing, test infrastructure, and safety disciplines for energetic materials. Programs learned—often painfully—that propulsion supply chains are slow to create and easy to bottleneck.
Then
A fast build-out of propulsion know-how and industrial capability.
Now
A mature missile-industrial base that later consolidated into fewer suppliers.
Why this matters now
Today’s expansion wave echoes the same lesson: propulsion capacity is strategic and slow-moving.
