WASHINGTON Top U.S. defense contractors Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics announced a strategic partnership to produce solid rocket motors, aiming to address critical supply chain shortages in the defense industry.

The agreement, announced Aug. 13, will see General Dynamics manufacture rocket motors designed by Lockheed Martin for the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS), a GPS-guided artillery rocket system used by the U.S. military and allies for long-range fire support.

Production is expected to commence in 2025 at General Dynamics’ facility in Camden, Arkansas, marking the company’s entry into the solid rocket motor market.

The collaboration comes in response to the Pentagon’s growing demand for missile production, as the U.S. military seeks to help replenish allies nations stocks depleted by ongoing conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Solid rocket motors have been identified as critical chokepoints in the defense supply chain.

The U.S. solid rocket motor market has traditionally been dominated by L3Harris’s Aerojet Rocketdyne and Northrop Grumman.

Solid rocket motors, which use solid propellants for fuel and oxidizer, are crucial components in many military missiles and rocket systems, prized for their reliability and long shelf life.

This latest agreement follows a recent announcement by Raytheon of a partnership with Italian firm Avio S.p.A. to develop solid rocket motors for military applications.

Several new entrants, including Ursa Major Technologies, X-Bow Systems, and Anduril industries, are also attempting to break into the solid rockets market, signaling growing competition in this sector.