A double breakthrough in the United States for Avio, the Italian company headquartered in Colleferro and a leading player in solid, liquid, and cryogenic propulsion and launch systems.
On 10 November, the company signed 2 agreements with Lockheed Martin and Raytheon (part of the RTX group), marking a decisive step toward establishing a new solid rocket motor (SRM) production facility aimed at the US defence market.
The project - to be developed by Avio USA - envisages the start of construction in 2026 and completion by 2028. Avio has not yet disclosed the exact location of the site; however, available information indicates that the plant will be a high-technology infrastructure, capable of managing all major production phases in-house, from propellant formulation to motor assembly, in order to provide US customers with a fully integrated and autonomous supplier.
With Lockheed Martin, Avio has signed a non-binding Term Sheet granting the US group preferential access to part of the new facility’s production capacity. The agreement aims to support the growing demand for propulsion systems and to strengthen the reliability of the US industrial base for SRMs employed in tactical and strategic weapon systems. The 2 companies will soon negotiate a Strategic Cooperation Agreement to ensure a stable and efficient supply of high-performance motors.
In parallel, Avio and Raytheon signed a Memorandum of Understanding designed to support the development of the facility and outline cooperation modalities for the production of solid-propellant motors for Raytheon and other customers. Here as well, Raytheon will benefit from preferential access to part of the production capacity, consolidating a partnership that dates back to the contract signed in July 2024 for preliminary engineering work on the Mk-104 motor, for the Standard Missile line, and to the subsequent order supporting the programme through the Critical Design Review (CDR) phase and the early procurement of long-lead materials.
The US investment represents a pillar of Avio’s long-term industrial strategy, aimed at expanding its footprint in the defence sector and strengthening cooperation with major American players. It is also intended to contribute to the development of next-generation propulsion systems for space and military applications. Avio CEO Giulio Ranzo described the 2 agreements as essential for giving solidity to the US project, following the reduction of the Italian state-owned group Leonardo’s stake in Avio to just over 19%, as the company reallocates resources to other European industrial initiatives.
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