An advanced large solid rocket motor hot fire test conducted at L3Harris’ Camden, Arkansas, site.(Courtesy photo)
Defense contractor and weapons manufacturer L3Harris plans to construct an “extensive” production facility for rocket motors in an expansion of the company’s footprint in Arkansas, it announced Friday.
The new manufacturing facility for large solid rocket motors will be located in Camden, where L3Harris subsidiary Aerojet Rocketdyne has operated since 1979. Estimated cost will be about $500 million, the company said.
The facility will add roughly 50 new jobs, an Arkansas Economic Development Commission press release said.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the state “is proud to build the arsenal of democracy and protect our country and allies!”
The AEDC release also noted that L3Harris representatives met with Arkansas officials during Sanders’ trip to the Paris Air Show in June to secure the expansion.
A trip Sanders made to the Paris Air Show in 2023 resulted in an announced construction of a $33 million missile factory in Camden that is a joint venture between Raytheon Technologies and Israel-based Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
According to an L3Harris press release, the planned rocket motor facility will have “more than 20 buildings across 110 acres” and will add more than 130,000 square feet of manufacturing space to the company’s existing 2,000 acre production site.
The company anticipates the added facilities will “provide a six-fold increase in manufacturing capacity.” It expects construction on the expansion to start this year, with first production slated for 2027.
The expansion is part of L3Harris’ modernization program following its acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne and the U.S. government’s attempts to develop an expanded homeland missile defense shield dubbed Golden Dome, according to Reuters.
U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, a Republican who represents the Camden area, applauded the move, calling it “Great news” for his district in a post on X.
“This expansion in Camden will continue to solidify the Natural State’s mark in defense manufacturing. Support many hardworking Arkansans, and maintain our nation’s position as a global leader in aerospace and defense,” he wrote.
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