X-Bow Systems and US Army Launch $13.9M GMLRS Rocket Motor Project
New Mexico-based X-Bow Systems and the US Army are jointly investing $13.9 million to design, build, and test a new solid rocket motor for the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS).
The project seeks to ease bottlenecks in the missile supply chain caused by outdated production techniques and to ensure a steady flow of critical munitions. X-Bow will employ its patented solid-propellant technology to provide an additional production source and strengthen the rocket motor industrial base.
Funding is arranged under a cost-sharing program led by the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital, combining government and private resources. X-Bow will collaborate with Kord Technologies, a KBR subsidiary, for engineering and technical support. The effort will culminate in a static fire test, a key milestone toward certifying a new supplier for the Pentagon.
The initiative falls under the Advanced Manufacturing Pathfinder program, designed to accelerate innovative defense production methods while broadening the US industrial base and addressing outdated processes.
This project follows a string of X-Bow achievements, including the October 2024 launch of its “Bolt” rocket, the design review of a hypersonic booster engine, Navy contracts for Standard Missile rocket motors, and a US Air Force deal under its Rapid Energetics and Advanced Rocket Manufacturing program.
