Northrop Grumman has opened a research center at its Propulsion Systems & Controls campus in Elkton, Md., where 250 engineers will be developing advanced solid rocket motor (SRM) and hypersonic air-breathing propulsion technologies for U.S. and allied defense programs. The 57,000-square foot Propulsion Innovation Center will complement Northrop’s Hypersonics Capability Center, at the same location, as well as parallel propulsion technology development and production centers in Utah and West Virginia.
The Center also will work to enhance resources for tactical missile propulsion.
Hypersonic missiles are a class of emerging defense technology that has gained focus for Pentagon planners and defense contractors. These are low-altitude (subspace) weapons that travel at Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound) or greater; the combination of speed, low altitude, and maneuverability make them highly effective at avoiding detection by radar or missile defense systems.
Northrop is one of the primary suppliers of supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) technology, which uses a vehicle's forward speed to compress incoming air, making it possible to achieve and sustain atmospheric hypersonic flight.
The objective for defense planners is to extend hypersonic delivery capability to conventionally armed weapons. The U.S. Army has a ground-launched hypersonic missile system nearing deployment, and the U.S. Navy has ship or sub-launched missiles in testing. U.S. Air Force has a hypersonic attack cruise missile in development.
Northrop’s Propulsion Innovation Center is reported to be part of a $100-million capital investment by Northrop Grumman at Elkton, and the company claims to have invested more than $1 billion in its U.S. manufacturing centers for rocket motors and missile components since 2018. It puts its overall investment in munitions-related technologies at more than $2 billion.
The investments at Elkton reportedly will increase solid rocket motor design and manufacturing capacity there by 25%.
“The Propulsion Innovation Center is a critical investment in advanced propulsion that expands the capacity and resilience of the nation’s SRM industrial base,” stated Jenna Paukstis, vice president and general manager, weapon systems, Northrop Grumman. “By bringing more engineers and manufacturing capability online in Elkton, this facility accelerates delivery of survivable, solid and air-breathing hypersonic and tactical missile propulsion solutions to the warfighter.”