Accelerating Tomorrow

Inside the Next Era of Propulsion

By Brandon Hartman, Hillary Walker and Jordan Orris

The next great leaps in speed and power are happening in environments designed to test limits. They’re emerging in test bays tucked into the Appalachians, in high-desert labs transformed into fast-paced technology proving grounds and in mid-Atlantic propulsion facilities, where the physics of hypersonic flight is treated as an invitation rather than a barrier.

Different places and missions — each aligned in purpose, pushing the boundaries of solid rocket motors (SRMs) and high-speed propulsion to reshape the future of flight.

Imagine traversing the distance between the U.S. and Europe in less than two hours. That’s the speed we’re talking about. And hitting hypersonic speeds is only the beginning; surviving scorching thermal loads, controlling the vehicle and doing it reliably and cost effectively is the true next frontier.

– Ricardo Puig

Northrop Grumman's Hypersonics Program Manager

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Northrop Grumman’s SMART Demo Tests Second Advanced Solid Rocket Motor and Achieves Successful Firing in Two Months_image

The latest Northrop Grumman SMART Demo static test featured advanced manufacturing propulsion technologies. (Photo Credit: Northrop Grumman)

Reaching New Levels

In the rocky hills and valleys of Rocket Center, West Virginia, where the roar of ignition rumbles across the ridgeline, Northrop Grumman Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (ABL) employees design, cast, test and refine SRMs for some of the most critical tactical systems. Here, highly loaded grain motors are designed to pack more power into a smaller space. They use specially-engineered grains that allow more propellant to fit into a given volume, while also withstanding high internal forces and burning in a controlled, predictable way.

“We look to let a missile accelerate faster, fly farther or maneuver more sharply without increasing size,” said Garett Smith, a chief engineer who has worked at ABL — known for its decades-long lineage in SRM production — for over 30 years. “This compact motor punches far above its weight class.”

Garett’s team is experimenting with new grain geometries and materials that unlock higher thrust and more durable structures. Their work is fueling programs such as the Next-Generation Short-Range Interceptor, which will fly faster and perform better against aerial threats than any interceptor before.

ABL has produced tactical rocket motors, medium and large caliber ammunition, composite structure, mechanical and electronic fuzes and advanced weapons for the U.S. and its allies since the 1940s. Since 2021, the company has doubled production capacity for tactical solid rocket motors at this facility and are advancing efforts to further increase that capacity, effectively tripling production capabilities at ABL by 2027.

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Going Fast, Thinking Big

Nearly 2,000 miles west in Promontory, Utah, employees are compressing years of innovative propulsion development into months. The Solid Motor Annual Rocket Technology Demonstrator (SMART Demo) program is a fast-paced, annual effort to design, develop, build and test a new SRM using first-of-their-kind technologies. The objective isn’t only to produce hardware, but to push boundaries, accept technical risk and prove out high-potential technologies that could dramatically accelerate future launch and flight systems.

“SMART Demo rewards curiosity and decisiveness. We move fast, test fast and learn fast,” said Ben Case, a propulsion engineer. “We take on higher technical risk and pass the matured opportunities on to new and existing programs.

This pace has fostered a mindset pairing Northrop Grumman’s deep SRM heritage with Silicon Valley-style iteration to meet rapidly evolving industry needs. The results aren’t just sharpening technical capabilities; they’re transforming how future propulsion systems are developed and how teams work to execute at speed.

Elkton is a premier advanced propulsion manufacturing facility offering tip to tail capabilities in one campus. (Photo Credit: Northrop Grumman)

Charting New Territory

On the opposite side of the country, propulsion experts are navigating one of modern defense’s defining engineering challenges: creating propulsion solutions that operate at speeds above Mach 5.

“Imagine traversing the distance between the U.S. and Europe in less than two hours,” said Ricardo Puig, hypersonics program manager, Northrop Grumman. “That’s the speed we’re talking about. And hitting hypersonic speeds is only the beginning; surviving scorching thermal loads, controlling the vehicle and doing it reliably and cost effectively is the true next frontier.”

In Elkton, Maryland; Ronkonkoma, New York; and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; teams are exploring materials and propulsion capable of thriving in extreme environments, where temperatures soar and molecules behave differently. Hundreds of data points are collected at Ronkonkoma’s Applied Science Laboratory to develop innovative capabilities that are shaping next-generation architectures such as glide vehicles and air-breathing systems.

“Our adversaries aren’t waiting,” said Hypersonic Propulsion Engineer Zach Halterman, who sees his work as a technical challenge and national imperative. “Range and maneuverability at Mach 5 redefine the entire deterrence equation.”

Hypersonics requires a fusion of disciplines including combustion, materials science, high temperature structures and advanced modeling. The Propulsion Systems and Controls sites along the east coast have become a hub where those worlds intersect.

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Ready Now, Future Capable

To date, Northrop Grumman has delivered over 1.3 million motors for customers worldwide. With over $1 billion invested in world-class propulsion since 2018, employees across the country are iterating new technologies, reducing manufacturing time and delivering with agility and speed.

By reaching higher levels of power in smaller spaces, accelerating propulsion advancement and soaring beyond Mach 5, together these teams’ efforts underscore Northrop Grumman’s commitment to being at the forefront of high-speed flight. Together, the company isn’t just adapting to the future of propulsion – it’s building it.

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