Loaded Grain Rocket Motor for Air-to-Air Weapons tested
Anduril Industries and Raytheon successfully completed a static fire test of an advanced solid rocket motor (SRM) featuring a Highly Loaded Grain (HLG) configuration — a major advancement in propulsion technology for air-to-air weapon systems.
According to an Anduril news release, the test was conducted by the two companies in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate. It validated the performance of a heavywall SRM configured in a HLG configuration built by Anduril.
In response to the increasing global demand for munitions, Raytheon has been working with domestic and international partners to enhance US-based rocket motor manufacturing capacity.
More than just a technical achievement
The HLG design is developed and built by Anduril using technology from Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. Raytheon’s Advanced Technology team provided crucial technical expertise and oversight throughout the development, design, and execution phases of the test activities conducted by Anduril. The design enables significantly greater volumes of energetic propellant, delivering increased specific impulse and enhanced motor performance. These improvements translate directly into extended range and greater tactical advantage for US and allied warfighters.
“This test demonstrates more than just a technical achievement,” said Colin Whelan, president of Advanced Technology at Raytheon, in a Raytheon news release. “It’s about building a more robust and adaptable supply base for solid rocket motors that can rapidly respond to emerging national security needs.”
By partnering with Anduril, Raytheon is expanding the defense technology ecosystem and addressing critical limitations in the rocket motor supply base. This collaboration exemplifies the company’s composable weapons strategy, which aims to create more flexible and adaptable missile systems through strategic partnerships.
A demanding task
“Designing and firing a Highly Loaded Grain rocket motor is one of the most technically demanding tasks in the solid rocket motor industry,” said LTG (ret.) Neil Thurgood, Senior Vice President, Anduril Industries. “Achieving this result highlights the strength of Anduril’s engineering team and demonstrates our ability to deliver high-performance propulsion solutions in a domain long defined by a small set of providers.”
Successful static fire testing reflects Anduril’s broader investment in restoring and expanding the US solid rocket motor industrial base. In August, Anduril commissioned its full-scale SRM production facility in Mississippi. Backed by more than $75 million in private investment, the facility will bring the much-needed scale, resiliency, and innovation to allied SRM manufacturing.
By successfully advancing this propulsion system for Raytheon, Anduril is helping shape the next era of air-launched weapons — equipping warfighters with the speed, range, and precision required to dominate the battlespace.
Photo credit: Anduril
