L3Harris expands rocket motor production to meet Javelin demand
L3Harris has begun construction on a new rocket motor factory in Virginia to increase the production of key components for the FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank guided missiles.
According to the portal Defense News, L3Harris has started work on expanding its Aerojet Rocketdyne facility in Orange County, Virginia, where small and medium rocket motors will be produced. In addition to increasing production capabilities, the testing centre will also be modernized.
The goal is to quickly fill the gap in the U.S. Army's handheld anti-tank weaponry after supplying Ukraine with over 10,000 Javelins since February 2022. Their annual production is set to increase from 2,400 to nearly 4,000 units by 2026, necessitating the expansion of all subcontractors' facilities. The project is funded by part of the $215 million the company received to enhance production capabilities.
Increasing production efficiency
The expansion is scheduled for completion in the third or fourth quarter of 2026, with production expected to begin in early 2027, said Scott Alexander, president of missile solutions at L3Harris. The company has been operating in the Shenandoah region for 30 years, producing rocket motors for major programs including the Standard Missile, Trident II D5, and a jet engine for NASA's Artemis program. This area is also home to a propellant research and development center, as well as SRM production, and has advanced testing facilities.
L3Harris has also started constructing new facilities in Camden, Arkansas, which will focus on increasing the production of rocket motors used in GMLRS rockets. The company is relocating all its inactive components, such as motor casings, to Huntsville, Alabama.
Innovations in the production process
The new facilities are designed to boost the company’s overall production capacity for Javelin rocket motors by 20%, thanks to strategic building layouts and optimized production lines. This enhancement is aimed at reducing total production time, resulting in quicker delivery schedules.
Julie Wikete, director of the Aerojet facility in Orange, stated that the new buildings will feature increased automation and robotics. She explained that by constructing these updated facilities, the company can implement forward-thinking designs that will directly enhance the production of Javelin rocket systems.
FGM-148 Javelin: An effective weapon against Russian armoured forces
The FGM-148 Javelin is an advanced "fire-and-forget" anti-tank system that plays a crucial role in the conflict in Ukraine. Thanks to fourth-generation infrared guidance technology where the sensor sees a thermal image of the target, it effectively destroys Russian tanks, as confirmed by video materials. However, their numbers have decreased in recent months, which may be a result of Ukrainians conserving missiles due to a lack of new supplies from the U.S.
The FGM-148 Javelin system allows targeting in two modes. The first is a direct attack useful for very short distances, and the second involves the missile initially ascending before diving down onto the target. This is lethal for tanks, as the missile strikes the tank's weakest top armour.
Adding cages or reactive armour blocks on the roof changes little here, as the dual-charge warhead can penetrate even over 711 mm of equivalent armoured steel. Such protection is characteristic of the front part of the tank, not its top. The range of the missiles in the first version from the 1990s was about 2.4 kilometres, and current production now features the ability to hit targets over 4.5 kilometres away.
