L3Harris Launches Virginia “Factories of the Future” to Surge Rocket Motor Production

Dateline: Melbourne, FL – May 30, 2025

L3Harris Technologies has officially commenced construction on five new state-of-the-art solid rocket motor (SRM) facilities in Orange County, Virginia, marking a significant step in bolstering the U.S. defense industrial base. The groundbreaking in May 2025 launches the development of what L3Harris dubs “factories of the future,” designed to integrate advanced manufacturing technologies and substantially increase the production of SRMs for critical defense programs, most notably the Javelin anti-tank missile system.

This expansion is a direct response to heightened global demand and the urgent need to replenish national and allied munitions stockpiles. The project is substantially supported by a cooperative agreement under the Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III, underscoring its critical importance to national security. For a visual and interactive exploration of this initiative, see our detailed guide.

“Factories of the Future”: Revolutionizing SRM Manufacturing

L3Harris’s vision for these Virginia facilities involves a transformative approach to SRM production, incorporating:

Modular Factory Designs: Allowing for flexible production layouts and facilitating future upgrades.
Advanced Automation: Utilizing robotic flex cells for automated component handling and processing, and automated progressive casting techniques for propellant.
Optimized Workflow: Implementing improved handling and assembly systems to reduce bottlenecks and manufacturing cycle times.
Digital Transformation: Leveraging digital engineering and data analytics to enhance efficiency, quality control, and process improvements.

These innovations are projected to yield dramatic efficiencies. L3Harris anticipates a 90% reduction in the distance rocket motors travel during the manufacturing process within the new 12,000 sq ft consolidated cast and assembly building. For the Javelin program specifically, the new facilities are expected to increase L3Harris’s overall SRM production capacity by 20%, shorten build times, and enhance the statistical reliability of the manufacturing process.

Strategic Investment & Government Partnership

The Orange County expansion represents a $41.2 million investment, significantly bolstered by DPA Title III funding. This is part of a larger $215.6 million DoD commitment to L3Harris (through its Aerojet Rocketdyne segment) aimed at expanding and modernizing SRM facilities across Virginia, Camden, Arkansas, and Huntsville, Alabama. This multi-state effort focuses on critical munitions including Javelin, GMLRS, and Stinger missiles. The Commonwealth of Virginia and Orange County are also contributing approximately $2.18 million in local incentives.

Greg Davis, Acting Director for Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization at the DoD, stated that such investments are “integral to our efforts to continue to support warfighter requirements” and a key component of “revitalizing the defense industrial base”.

Virginia Site: A Specialized Center of Excellence

L3Harris’s Orange County site already serves as the company’s Center of Excellence (CoE) for Propellant Research and Small to Medium-sized SRM Production. The current expansion includes consolidating all Javelin SRM work from Camden, Arkansas, to this Virginia facility. This strategic move is designed to leverage synergies between advanced propellant R&D and high-volume Javelin SRM manufacturing, fostering closer collaboration between research, design, and production teams. This Virginia initiative is a key part of L3Harris’s broader national strategy to create a networked and specialized SRM production ecosystem, complementing capabilities in Camden (large SRMs) and Huntsville (inert components).

Broader Implications & Space Coast Connection

This significant modernization effort by L3Harris is a direct response to the strains on the U.S. DIB, brought into sharp focus by recent geopolitical events like the war in Ukraine. The Virginia expansion serves as a critical case study in how targeted government investment and industry initiative can combine to upgrade essential segments of the DIB, ensuring a more robust, agile, and technologically advanced manufacturing base for national security.

While these new “Factories of the Future” are physically located in Virginia, L3Harris Technologies is headquartered here in Melbourne, Florida. The strategic decisions, corporate oversight for major national programs, and the development of advanced technologies and manufacturing processes that flow into such initiatives are often driven by the leadership and extensive engineering talent based on the Space Coast. The success of L3Harris in strengthening the national SRM supply chain has direct implications for the multitude of defense systems launched from or supported by Florida’s unique aerospace infrastructure.

Construction of the new Virginia facilities is expected to be completed by late 2026, with production scheduled to commence in early 2027. The project is anticipated to create approximately 80 new jobs in Orange County over the next three years.

The development of these advanced manufacturing sites is crucial for ensuring the U.S. can meet current surge demands and future defense propulsion requirements, reinforcing L3Harris’s role as a pivotal player in the nation’s defense.

For more in-depth coverage of how cutting-edge defense technologies and industrial base developments impact our region and national security, visit Space Coast Defense.