Arthur McMiler 
- Qualification of the motor is slated for 2027 and would add a third U.S. supplier
- Lockheed has delivered 100,000 GMLRS rounds and builds nearly 14,000 rockets a year
- The company’s Camden, Arkansas, site is growing its workforce by half to speed munitions output
Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, or GDOTS, have completed the initial ground test of a newly developed solid rocket motor for the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, or GMLRS, an effort aimed at adding another American supplier for the rocket’s propulsion.
Lockheed said Tuesday the two companies will keep testing the motor ahead of a planned 2027 qualification. Qualification would make GDOTS the third domestic source for the motor, which Lockheed said would bring more resilience to the rocket’s supply base as output grows.
What Has GDOTS Contributed to the GMLRS Program?
GDOTS already supplies launch pod containers, warheads and motor cases for GMLRS. Chris Haynes, the company’s senior vice president and general manager, called the motor test a significant point in its work with Lockheed to boost SRM output. He said both companies aim to grow U.S. manufacturing capacity and keep American and allied forces equipped.
The motor work stems from a 2024 agreement between the companies. In September, GDOTS said it was close to completing a solid rocket motor manufacturing campus in Camden, Arkansas, designed to serve multiple customers and scale with demand rather than support a single program.
How Many GMLRS Rockets Is Lockheed Producing?
Lockheed has delivered its 100,000th GMLRS round and is building close to 14,000 rockets annually, a pace the company said was reached ahead of schedule. In June, the Army awarded Lockheed $3 billion to produce GMLRS rockets.
Gaylia Campbell, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Tactical Missiles, said the company is moving with urgency and putting money into its suppliers so U.S. forces are equipped “before they need it.” She said Lockheed is coordinating closely with the Pentagon and industry partners, including GDOTS, to keep up with demand.
GMLRS fires from M270 and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers. Lockheed delivered its 750th HIMARS launcher in November 2025. A December 2025 flight test of an extended-range GMLRS variant carrying an alternative warhead reached 112 kilometers, and in August, the company conducted a second flight test of its Joint Reduced Range Rocket, a lower-cost HIMARS training round.
Allies are also buying the rocket. In March 2025, the Department of State approved a $91.2 million foreign military sale of 54 GMLRS-Alternate Warhead rounds to Australia.
Who Else Is Expanding Solid Rocket Motor Production?
Lockheed has lined up other propulsion sources. In October, it signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Avio under which Avio USA will make SRMs for the extended-range GMLRS and the Precision Strike Missile at a new plant in Hurt, Virginia, once qualification is complete.
L3Harris Technologies also opened its Arsenal of Freedom solid rocket motor facility in Camden in October. Built under a $216 million Defense Production Act Title III cooperative agreement, the site is expected to double GMLRS motor capacity. The company’s Advanced Manufacturing Facility-South in Huntsville, Alabama, which opened in August 2025, builds inert motor components such as nozzles and cases for GMLRS, Javelin and Standard Missile.
How Is Lockheed Building Its Camden Workforce?
The GMLRS supplier base spans over 200 companies across 35 states, more than 50 of them small businesses. Over 200 Lockheed employees work on the rocket in Camden, where the company is expanding headcount by half to accelerate several munitions lines, including the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement and PrSM.
Lockheed is funding an Industrial Automation and Robotics Lab at SAU Tech’s new Defense Manufacturing Center of Excellence. A high school hiring program now in its fourth year placed more than 40 graduates in full-time Camden jobs in 2026, which the company said was a record for the effort.
The hiring push follows the Arkansas Economic Development Commission’s announcement in early November that Lockheed will invest $420 million in its Camden site to expand PAC-3, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense and PrSM capacity, a move expected to create 650 jobs over five years.
