This new capability will enable a composable motor capable of meeting multiple mission needs by adjusting thrust on demand.

Both companies have been awarded a phase two contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Burn n’ Go program.

“Solid rocket motor production has become a critical bottleneck for many missile programs,” said Colin Whelan, president of Advanced Technology at Raytheon. “By pursuing a composable approach to how these motors are designed and built, we’re helping lay the groundwork for faster, more adaptable munitions production across multiple mission sets.”

The award follows a highly accelerated, seven-month phase one effort in which Raytheon and Northrop Grumman demonstrated the feasibility of this new propulsion approach. The technology is intended to support a wider range of missions and weapon systems by giving the military more options from a common, single-use motor design. Under the phase two contract, Raytheon’s Advanced Technology team will further mature and scale its solution, followed by a series of demonstrations to show how it performs in increasingly realistic rocket motor configurations, according to a press release.

Raytheon claimed that creating composable weapons is a revolutionary approach to missile development – where standard, reusable components like hardware, software and testing infrastructure can be quickly adapted and reconfigured for different mission requirements.

The company is developing a composable weapons architecture to reduce cycle time, lower costs and accelerate missile development. The approach involves creating reusable components and standardized systems across multiple missile programs.

As prime on the contract, Raytheon is partnering with Northrop Grumman’s Allegany Ballistic Laboratory (ABL), which has extensive expertise in solid rocket motor design and manufacturing. The team also includes Luna Innovations, contributing its novel material development capabilities, to advance a solution that aligns with DARPA’s vision for more flexible, scalable missile propulsion, as per the release.

The announcement also reflects a broader trend within the U.S. defense sector toward “composable weapons,” where common components can be reused across multiple platforms.