Avio USA has broken ground on a roughly 900,000ft2 solid rocket motor plant in Hurt, Virginia, its first manufacturing facility in the US.
Located at Southern Virginia Multimodal Park, the facility will substantially increase US-based production capacity for missiles and munitions, the company stated in a 29 September release.
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The site will supply thousands of solid rocket motors annually for tactical missile programmes, meeting the needs of major defence contractors including Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.
Virginia-based HITT Contracting is the general contractor for the manufacturing facility.
Construction is expected to be completed by late 2028, with production anticipated to begin in early 2029.
Avio USA expects the project to create roughly 1,500 technical jobs in Southern Virginia.
Avio USA CEO James Syring said: “Avio USA is building more than a manufacturing facility in Virginia. We are building an American company and workforce that can bring Avio’s proven propulsion expertise to the US defence market.
“Our goal is to be an independent, open-source merchant supplier, able to support multiple customers and programs and provide major defence primes with an additional source for this critical capability.”
Avio USA is a subsidiary of Rome-based Avio and operates under a DCSA Special Security Agreement.
The subsidiary has a US-based board and is led by Syring, a retired US Navy vice-admiral and former director of the US Missile Defence Agency.
The ground-breaking follows Avio’s completion of an investment transaction with funds managed by Advent International, which acquired a 6.54% minority stake for approximately €109m ($123m) to support the company’s long-term growth in Italy and expansion into the US market.
Avio CEO Giulio Ranzo said: “The successful completion of our capital raise provided the resources for this investment, which will expand the US solid rocket motor manufacturing capacity and establish a lasting American presence for Avio.
“Combining our proven expertise with local talent, we will support our customers and contribute to a more resilient defence supply chain.”
