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The Naval Energetics Programs and Applied sciences (NEST) Program has awarded a contract to Ursa Main to develop and check a stable rocket motor (SRM) prototype for the US Navy’s Normal Missile (SM) Program. By means of the contract, Ursa Main, a Denver-based firm that makes use of additive manufacturing (AM) to allow design and manufacturing of modular rocket engines, will convey its Lynx manufacturing course of to bear on the Navy’s Mk 104 dual-thrust SRM.
The Navy’s SM arsenal depends on the Mk 104, which is at present amongst quite a lot of completely different SRMs whose brief provide is basically accountable for holding again US missile manufacturing. In a February 2024 article titled “Provider bottlenecks threaten US Navy effort to develop arms stockpiles,” Protection Information’ Megan Eckstein wrote that, “Navy officers and business executives say they’re addressing particular bottlenecks within the provide chain, in some circumstances pursuing a second vendor or spending extra authorities funds to modernize manufacturing services.”
Eckstein additionally referenced a December 2023 interview through which Rear Adm. Seiko Okano mentioned “the bottleneck is rocket motors.” As well as, Okano famous that the Navy had already issued “a handful” of different transaction settlement [OTA] contracts to small companies for the Mk 72 booster and the Mk 104. In March 2024, together with the contract to Ursa Main, the NEST handed out no less than 5 contracts to each small enterprises in addition to primes for the Mk 72 and Mk 104 applications.
Picture courtesy of NEST.
In a press launch about Ursa Main’s US Navy contract, the founder and CEO of Ursa Main, Joe Laurienti, mentioned, “We’re happy with the Navy’s assist and recognition of Ursa Main as a trusted associate to develop the following technology of Mk 104 stable rocket motors. Our new strategy to manufacturing SRMs permits Ursa Main to rapidly develop high-performing motors at scale, driving quantity and value efficiencies to deal with this crucial nationwide want.”
Captain Thomas Seigenthaler, the director of Program Govt Workplace Built-in Warfare Programs (PEO IWS) 3.0, mentioned, “PEO IWS is happy to work with Ursa Main on this effort to bolster a crucial element of the Nation’s industrial base. The manufacturing of [SRMs] is a prime precedence, and we’re impressed with Ursa Main’s modern strategy to deal with manufacturing challenges.”
Additively manufactured small motor circumstances and parts for tactical missile functions. Picture courtesy of Ursa Main
As I defined in an article final month, the Pentagon’s curiosity in Ursa Main is simply as a lot about its newcomer standing and achievement of a versatile manufacturing mannequin that works, as it’s about rocket motors, specifically. For the DoD, rocket motors often is the most pressing element in brief provide proper now, however the group’s predominant takeaway from the final a number of years is that such shortages have change into the brand new regular.
For that to alter, the US wants as many firms like Ursa Main as attainable. As helpful as AM has been for Ursa Main, Ursa Main is much more helpful to the US AM business. It’s a very good factor for the US to have as many OEMs making printers because it does. In AM’s subsequent period, the first focus must be build up the variety of contract producers proficient in AM.
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