X-Bow Systems has been awarded a potential $69.7 million contract to develop a solid rocket motor for a future US Navy weapon.
The drive developer will design, test and qualify the engine as part of a two-phase program. The Navy plans to field an initial version of the weapon in early fiscal year 2031.
The prize includes $50.4 million for development and an additional qualification option of $19.3 million. The government has allocated $50 million for the first 12 months of work.
Marine weapon receives booster
The engine will support a common architecture intended to replace single-role interceptors. Some versions could also include more interceptors in each launch system.
This architecture places the booster at the center of a broader effort to increase the Navy’s missile capacity. X-Bow will conduct development work at locations in California, New Mexico and Texas.
The company will also set up production tooling at its Luling, Texas location. This equipment will support a production rate of up to 500 engines per year.
X-Bow plans to use its modular engine architecture for the program. The approach allows engineers to adapt propulsion designs for various military applications.
The company has not disclosed the specific weapon associated with the award. The Navy’s planned deployment date of 2031 gives the program several years to move from development to qualification.
X-Bow is driving production forward
The agreement represents X-Bow’s sixth selection of a new propulsion program in 2026. The work this year includes Navy, Army and Missile Defense Agency requirements.
This growing workload comes as the Pentagon pushes the industry to produce solid rocket motors in higher volumes. These engines remain critical components for missiles and interceptors across the U.S. military.
X-Bow recently completed its first major production contract. The program delivered more than 2,100 combat-ready rocket engines.
Founder and CEO Jason Hundley said the U.S. needs to address long-standing restrictions on solid rocket motor production. “To be the arsenal of freedom, we must first overcome the decades-long bottleneck in solid rocket motor production,” Hundley said.
He said the new award shows the Pentagon is turning to advanced manufacturing to expand capabilities.
The Luling investment gives this strategy a physical footprint. X-Bow will have dedicated tooling capable of supporting hundreds of engines each year as the program enters production.
Next comes qualification
The first phase will focus on developing the booster and proving that it meets the program’s requirements. In a second phase, the engine could then go through qualification.
This sequence will provide the Navy with the data it needs before committing to a major production effort. This means that X-Bow’s manufacturing approach is also being implemented in another demanding military application.
The production target is notable because rocket engine manufacturing has become a major obstacle across the defense industry. Increasing performance can be just as important as improving the underlying propulsion technology.
The recent delivery of more than 2,100 engines to X-Bow is a first indication of its production ambitions. The new Navy program now offers the company another opportunity to prove it can scale.
The next milestone will be development and testing in X-Bow’s facilities. If the booster passes qualification, the Luling operation could be positioned to support sustainable marine production.
