WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has warned that shortages of solid rocket motors could constrain plans to sharply increase missile production. One of the industry’s largest suppliers says the bigger challenge may be how the government buys them.
Northrop Grumman, one of only two dominant U.S. producers of large and medium-sized solid rocket motors, argues that industry has substantial capacity to expand production but needs longer-term procurement commitments to justify investments throughout the supply chain.
The debate comes as the Defense Department prepares for a significant increase in missile procurement. A recent report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies concluded that solid rocket motors remain a bottleneck across the U.S. missile industrial base just as the Pentagon seeks to rapidly expand production of air and missile-defense interceptors.
James Kalberer, vice president of Northrop Grumman’s propulsion systems business unit, said manufacturers are responding to those concerns and are prepared to increase output. But he said annual appropriations and shorter-duration contracts make it difficult to make the long-term investments needed to support sustained growth.
