Latest news with #L3Harris'
Business Upturn
17-07-2025
- Business
- Business Upturn
L3Harris to Build More than 20 New Large Solid Rocket Motor Manufacturing Facilities in Calhoun County, Arkansas
CAMDEN, Ark., July 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Following a meeting with Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and AEDC leadership at the 2025 Paris Air Show, L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) announced plans to build more than 20 new manufacturing facilities in Calhoun County, Arkansas, that will produce large solid rocket motors. The new campus will create 50 new jobs over two years, adding to L3Harris' ~1,300-person workforce in Camden. 'Arkansas is a great place for L3Harris to fortify the domestic solid rocket motor industrial base with its dedicated workforce and strong state and local partnerships,' said Christopher E. Kubasik, Chair and CEO, L3Harris. 'Large solid rocket motors are essential to our nation's missile and strategic defense, and as the Trusted Disruptor, we are strengthening our ability to produce these systems rapidly and at scale, which is essential for current demand and the Golden Dome missile defense shield.' Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and officials from the Arkansas Department of Commerce and Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) met with L3Harris executives at the Paris Air Show to secure this investment. The new manufacturing facilities will add to L3Harris' existing site in south Arkansas. 'After a great meeting with the CEO of L3Harris, Chris Kubasik, at the Paris Air Show last month and highlighting all that Arkansas has to offer, we are proud to welcome their new manufacturing facilities to South Arkansas, and excited they are helping to position Arkansas as the arsenal of democracy,' said Governor Sanders. 'Our state ranks best in the nation for cost-of-living, number one for inbound movers, and topped the country in economic growth for two quarters in a row – so it's no surprise that major companies like L3Harris continue to invest in our state and drive our number one export industry, aerospace and defense. Thank you, Chris and L3Harris, for choosing to make Arkansas home.' L3Harris is investing nearly half a billion dollars across its major production sites to support solid rocket motor production, including $193 million to be spent in Arkansas, with Arkansas businesses, to support the construction and activation of these new Camden LSRM facilities. Construction of more than 20 buildings in Calhoun County will add more than 130,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space supporting production of large solid rocket motors that can power missile defense targets, interceptors and hypersonic vehicles. 'L3Harris is a major part of the aerospace and defense industry in Arkansas, and we are excited to see the company's continued growth in our state,' said Clint O'Neal, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. 'With this capital investment, L3Harris is advancing our national security and creating new jobs for Arkansans that will strengthen our state's economy and create new opportunities in south Arkansas.' L3Harris' new LSRM production facilities are expected to provide a six-fold increase in manufacturing capacity. L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, site is the company's 'Center of Excellence for Solid Rocket Motor production.' Approximately 1,300 Camden employees manufacture more than 100,000 solid rocket motors a year, from those that fit in the palm of your hand to the size of an SUV. In February, L3Harris announced it began construction on four new solid rocket motor production facilities in Camden. That expansion effort is part of a cooperative agreement between the Defense Department's Defense Production Act Title III program and L3Harris to increase domestic rocket propulsion manufacturing capacity. 'We are proud that L3Harris has committed to this investment in their facilities in Calhoun County,' said Calhoun County Judge Floyd Nutt. 'South Arkansas has a long history in aerospace and defense manufacturing, and this project will build on that history. Calhoun County provides a strong workforce and great business environment for L3Harris' continued growth.' 'The Calhoun and Ouachita County area is a hub for the aerospace and defense industry in Arkansas and the United States,' said Ouachita Partnership for Economic Development Executive Director James Lee Silliman. 'We are excited that L3Harris has chosen to invest in new facilities in Calhoun County, and we stand ready to assist them to succeed in our area.' About the Arkansas Economic Development Commission At AEDC, we know economic advancement doesn't happen by accident. We work strategically with businesses and communities to create strong economic opportunities, making Arkansas the natural choice for success. AEDC is a division of the Arkansas Department of Commerce. To learn more, visit Media Contact: Tyler HaleArkansas Department of Commerce [email protected] 501-410-7883
Business Wire
22-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
L3Harris Marks Major Milestone for New Solid Rocket Motor ‘Factories of the Future' in Virginia
CULPEPER, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) has broken ground on the construction of five new solid rocket motor facilities in Virginia that will boost production to support key national defense programs. The new facilities will incorporate modular factory design, robotic flex cells, automated, progressive casting and improved handling and assembly throughout the production line. 'L3Harris' growth in Virginia is another solid example of how we're expanding our rocket motor manufacturing infrastructure to support the nation's defense propulsion needs,' said Ken Bedingfield, President, Aerojet Rocketdyne, L3Harris. 'Made possible through a Defense Production Act Title III cooperative agreement, this expansion will complement an existing 256,000 square feet of manufacturing space, supporting some of the most advanced propulsion research and production in the world.' L3Harris' site in Virginia hosts the company's Center of Excellence for Propellant Research and Small to Medium-sized Solid Rocket Motor Production. The expansion includes a 12,000 square foot, state-of-the-art solid rocket motor cast and assembly facility, as well as a control room, facilities to support mixing and grinding operations and upgrades to the site's motor testing capabilities. The consolidated cast and assembly building will centralize production of a critical program under one roof, reducing the distance motors travel during manufacturing by 90%. 'L3Harris' continued expansion in Virginia underscores the Commonwealth's pivotal role in safeguarding our nation's security,' said Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. 'With a world-class workforce, cutting-edge infrastructure, and a strategic East Coast location, Virginia offers the ideal environment for defense and aerospace leaders like L3Harris to grow and drive innovation for the future.' 'I'm proud of Virginia's continued leadership in the defense sector, which is made possible in part through crucial investments like L3Harris' new solid rocket motor facilities,' said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. 'I'll keep looking for opportunities to support Virginia's robust defense industry—a core pillar of Virginia's economy and a key component of our military readiness.' 'Thrilled to see L3Harris expand its presence in Virginia and continue to strengthen our defense industrial base,' said Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va. 'This investment in Orange County will support the world-class research and manufacturing coming out of Virginia, while also creating valuable jobs for American workers.' 'This investment by L3Harris underscores how the Seventh Congressional District, and Virginia overall, remains a great place to build systems critical to our national security. This project will yield exactly the kind of smart, strategic growth we need in the Seventh District to strengthen our national security, rebuild America's defense industrial base, and build key components for munitions such as the Javelin,' said Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va. 'As an Army veteran and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I will prioritize supporting projects that ensure our service members have the tools they need to keep our country safe — while creating more good jobs right here in the Seventh.' 'Investment in key capabilities for domestic defense production is integral to our efforts to continue to support warfighter requirements,' said Greg Davis, Acting Director, Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy. 'It's also an important component to the Department's priority of revitalizing the defense industrial base.' L3Harris is also modernizing and expanding its solid rocket motor production in two other states. The company is constructing new solid rocket motor facilities in Camden, Arkansas, and is transitioning production of inert components for critical missile systems to align with the sites' core competencies in Huntsville, Alabama. The company is already ramping up production due to digital process improvements as well as new tooling and equipment. About L3Harris Technologies L3Harris Technologies is the Trusted Disruptor in the defense industry. With customers' mission-critical needs always in mind, our employees deliver end-to-end technology solutions connecting the space, air, land, sea and cyber domains in the interest of national security. Visit for more information. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect management's current expectations, assumptions and estimates of future performance and economic conditions. Such statements are made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and future trends to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Statements about future capacity are forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties. L3Harris disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
L3Harris breaks ground on new rocket motor plant in Virginia
CULPEPER, Va. — L3Harris has begun clearing forest and carving out roads deep in the Virginia countryside, breaking ground on a major expansion at its Orange County facility to produce small and medium solid rocket motors – key components for the Javelin antitank weapon. As part of the Defense Production Act used to boost the replenishment of weapons sent to Ukraine, L3Harris' Aerojet Rocketdyne is building state-of-the art facilities for solid rocket motor production, such as casting and assembly, and for mixing and grinding operations while upgrading its testing plant. The U.S. has sent Ukraine over 10,000 shoulder-fired Javelin systems since Russia invaded in February 2022 and is now working to replenish its depleted stock. Javelin is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. Aerojet Rocketdyne supplies the rocket motors for the weapon. Lockheed Martin aims to boost annual production from 2,400 Javelin missiles to nearly 4,000 by 2026, and Aerojet will need to contribute to meet the demand. Aerojet is constructing five new buildings that will move all work it does to build small and medium rocket motors, primarily Javelin, from Camden, Arkansas, to Orange county. It is primarily funded using a portion of the $215 million in Defense Production Act funding the company received for capacity ramp up efforts. The aim is to complete construction in the third or fourth quarter of 2026 and then begin moving into production in early 2027, Scott Alexander, L3Harris' missile solutions president, told reporters. The company has been tucked in the Shenandoah hills for 30 years, making a number of rocket motors for major programs including the Standard Missile, the Trident II D5 and the jettison motor for NASA's Artemis program. The area is also home to its center of excellence for propellant research and SRM production and has a robust testing facility that includes work on ramjet and scramjet technology development. L3Harris has also broken ground on new facilities in Camden, Arkansas, including a 60,000 square foot setup to concentrate on ramping up production of the rocket motors used in the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System that is fired from the Army's High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, another critical weapon sent to Ukraine to help it beat back the Russian invasion. And it is shifting all of its inert components like motor cases to Huntsville, Alabama. Overall, the company has doubled its internal investment in Aerojet's SRM production since acquiring it in 2023, Alexander said. The new buildings will leverage 'a lot of automation, robotics,' Julie Wikete, Aerojet's Orange site director, told reporters May 21 at the facility. 'How do we improve the overall experience here? And especially with building these new, we're able to leverage a lot of that more future factory approach that's going to lend ourselves directly to increasing the overall output of Javelin.' The new facilities will allow the company to increase its overall production capacity for Javelin solid rocket motors by 20% through strategic building and production line designs that cut the distance traveled across the facility during various stages of the process by 90%, Wikete said. 'We are reducing the overall time to build, which just immediately translates to faster out the door,' she noted. The expansion represents significant growth, although the number of new employees that will be needed at the facility is still being evaluated. 'We're always hiring,' Wikete said. 'Javelin is one program that is coming here … we are also growing in other areas,' she said. 'We'll continue to evaluate that as programs come online and more and more jobs will be opened up at that point.' With the addition of new production practices like robotics and automation that will enhance the process, the benefits include 'statistical reliability in what you're building and how you're building,' Alexander said. 'You take a lot of the human factor out of that, but also it is more efficient and so ultimately that is going to affect the cost per round in terms of it being economical.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
We got an up-close look at the new Skyraider II special operations light attack plane that maker L3Harris says can land almost anywhere
L3Harris showed off its new light attack airplane that it says can land almost anywhere. The Sky Warden, or Skyraider II, was on display at SOF Week in Tampa, Florida. BI got up close with the Sky Warden and took photos of this new aircraft. US Air Force Special Operations Command got its first mission-ready Skyraider II attack plane last month, and this week, Business Insider got an up-close look at the new light attack plane at SOF Week 2025 in Tampa, Florida. Air Tractor and L3Harris' AT-802U Sky Warden, designated the OA-1K Skyraider II by AFSOC in reference to the A-1 Skyraiders of the Korean and Vietnam wars, is an armed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, close-air support, and strike aircraft that L3Harris says can land almost anywhere. The new light attack aircraft is a militarized variant of the Air Tractor AT-802 long used for civilian work like agriculture. Here's what it looks like: The Air Force describes the Skyraider II as a flexible aircraft that can be adjusted for different missions and fights, noting that it has a much more manageable maintenance demand and a lower cost per flight hour than other AFSOC aircraft. Like its legendary predecessor, the new Skyraider was built for armed overwatch and attack in permissive environments, though the battlespace is not what it once was, and there are questions about its role in a high-intensity fight in the Indo-Pacific. Jon Rambeau, the president of integrated mission systems at L3Harris, said the Sky Warden is a "versatile" platform and "costs a fraction of what you might pay for a fighter jet." Just how much the planes cost is a detail that isn't publicly available. Rambeau and Clint Logwood, L3Harris' director of flight tests and flight operations, said one of Skyraider II's most important attributes is its ability to operate in different environments. It can also land just about anywhere with a limited logistics footprint. "This thing could land anywhere," Logwood said, from rugged and remote airfields to highways. The Air Force has prioritized flexibility, specifically the ability to operate in austere environments and off of unconventional runways like roadways. Fixed airfields and bases are easy targets, especially in the Indo-Pacific where US forces have to contend with China's growing missile force, but an adversary can't target every piece of concrete in the region. Logwood, who has put many hours of testing the aircraft's capabilities, G-force, speed, temperature, and altitude, said: "We have landed this aircraft on some fields that would jar your teeth, and this aircraft just says, 'That's all you got?'" The Sky Warden has "plug and play technology," he said. It has a modular design, which means new systems can be quickly integrated into the aircraft. There are ten hardpoints capable of carrying a range of weapons and other technologies. While there are two seats in the Sky Warden, it's a single-pilot aircraft in which all of its systems are designed to be accessible by one person and easy to learn. And its cost-per-hour of flight, Rambeau said, is less than $1,000 per hour, one of the cheaper cost estimates of the Air Force's fleet. He added that L3Harris was in conversation with potential international customers across the world as well. Below the wings of the Sky Warden, Logwood noted, were its dummy AGM 114 Hellfire missiles, as well as ISR sensors and arrays. If another mission pod is needed, it can be bolted and connected to the plane. The Sky Warden can be dissembled in under six hours and fit inside a C-17 cargo aircraft. The program was originally contracted for 75 aircraft in a $3 billion deal; in 2023 and 2024, the Government Accountability Office issued reports urging the Pentagon to reconsider the number of aircraft needed, citing concerns the program wouldn't be as valuable as the US shifts from decades of counterterrorism operations featuring air superiority to near-peer adversary fights. Rambeau cited the aircraft's potential international sales as examples "to dispel the thought that this is only applicable for counterinsurgency," saying that those customers were looking at the aircraft for a variety of purposes. While Sky Warden is capable of taking off and landing almost anywhere, Rambeau and Logwood said it would need to be modified for carrier-based operations. The aircraft requires a distance of about 1,200 feet. For fighters and bombers, the required runway length tends to be thousands of feet. The original Skyraider earned its legendary reputation by protecting downed airmen in Vietnam. Unlike jets that couldn't stay in the area, the Skyraiders could loiter for long periods of time and bring massive firepower for continuous suppressing fire until helicopters could come in for rescue operations. Skyraider pilot Maj. Bernard Fisher famously landed his plane through withering enemy fire at a battle-scarred airstrip littered with debris and destroyed aircraft, rescued a downed airman, and flew back out after taking multiple hits to his aircraft during a 1966 fight at Ashau. Fisher received the Medal of Honor for his actions. The Air Force is hoping the new Skyraiders will provide the same kind of exceptional support for troops in future fights. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
09-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
We got an up-close look at the new Skyraider II light attack plane that maker L3Harris says can land almost anywhere
US Air Force Special Operations Command got its first mission-ready Skyraider II attack plane last month, and this week, Business Insider got an up-close look at the new light attack plane at SOF Week 2025 in Tampa, Florida. Air Tractor and L3Harris' AT-802U Sky Warden, designated the OA-1K Skyraider II by AFSOC in reference to the A-1 Skyraiders of the Korean and Vietnam wars, is an armed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, close-air support, and strike aircraft that L3Harris says can land almost anywhere. The new light attack aircraft is a militarized variant of the Air Tractor AT-802 long used for civilian work like agriculture. Here's what it looks like: The Air Force describes the Skyraider II as a flexible aircraft that can be adjusted for different missions and fights, noting that it has a much more manageable maintenance demand and a lower cost per flight hour than other AFSOC aircraft. Like its legendary predecessor, the new Skyraider was built for armed overwatch and attack in permissive environments, though the battlespace is not what it once was, and there are questions about its role in a high-intensity fight in the Indo-Pacific. Jon Rambeau, the president of integrated mission systems at L3Harris, said the Sky Warden is a "versatile" platform and "costs a fraction of what you might pay for a fighter jet." Just how much the planes cost is a detail that isn't publicly available. Rambeau and Clint Logwood, L3Harris' director of flight tests and flight operations, said one of Skyraider II's most important attributes is its ability to operate in different environments. It can also land just about anywhere with a limited logistics footprint. "This thing could land anywhere," Logwood said, from rugged and remote airfields to highways. The Air Force has prioritized flexibility, specifically the ability to operate in austere environments and off of unconventional runways like roadways. Fixed airfields and bases are easy targets, especially in the Indo-Pacific where US forces have to contend with China's growing missile force, but an adversary can't target every piece of concrete in the region. Logwood, who has put many hours of testing the aircraft's capabilities, G-force, speed, temperature, and altitude, said: "We have landed this aircraft on some fields that would jar your teeth, and this aircraft just says, 'That's all you got?'" The Sky Warden has "plug and play technology," he said. It has a modular design, which means new systems can be quickly integrated into the aircraft. There are ten hardpoints capable of carrying a range of weapons and other technologies. While there are two seats in the Sky Warden, it's a single-pilot aircraft in which all of its systems are designed to be accessible by one person and easy to learn. And its cost-per-hour of flight, Rambeau said, is less than $1,000 per hour, one of the cheaper cost estimates of the Air Force's fleet. He added that L3Harris was in conversation with potential international customers across the world as well. Below the wings of the Sky Warden, Logwood noted, were its dummy AGM 114 Hellfire missiles, as well as ISR sensors and arrays. If another mission pod is needed, it can be bolted and connected to the plane. The Sky Warden can be dissembled in under six hours and fit inside a C-17 cargo aircraft. The program was originally contracted for 75 aircraft in a $3 billion deal; in 2023 and 2024, the Government Accountability Office issued reports urging the Pentagon to reconsider the number of aircraft needed, citing concerns the program wouldn't be as valuable as the US shifts from decades of counterterrorism operations featuring air superiority to near-peer adversary fights. Rambeau cited the aircraft's potential international sales as examples "to dispel the thought that this is only applicable for counterinsurgency," saying that those customers were looking at the aircraft for a variety of purposes. While Sky Warden is capable of taking off and landing almost anywhere, Rambeau and Logwood said it would need to be modified for carrier-based operations. The aircraft requires a distance of about 1,200 feet. For fighters and bombers, the required runway length tends to be thousands of feet. The original Skyraider earned its legendary reputation by protecting downed airmen in Vietnam. Unlike jets that couldn't stay in the area, the Skyraiders could loiter for long periods of time and bring massive firepower for continuous suppressing fire until helicopters could come in for rescue operations. Skyraider pilot Maj. Bernard Fisher famously landed his plane through withering enemy fire at a battle-scarred airstrip littered with debris and destroyed aircraft, rescued a downed airman, and flew back out after taking multiple hits to his aircraft during a 1966 fight at Ashau. Fisher received the Medal of Honor for his actions. The Air Force is hoping the new Skyraiders will provide the same kind of exceptional support for troops in future fights.
