L3Harris Technologies is expanding its missile propulsion manufacturing capacity with two new facilities in Arkansas to support growing production of the U.S. Army’s PAC-3 missile propulsion systems.

The company broke ground on the buildings at its Arkansas Advanced Propulsion Facilities (AAPF) campus in Camden. The expansion is intended to accelerate production of propulsion components used in the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptor.

The two facilities include a roughly 75,000-square-foot building for casting, curing and final assembly, and a nearly 70,000-square-foot case preparation facility. L3Harris said the expansion is part of a broader effort to strengthen domestic solid rocket motor manufacturing.

The new buildings will add advanced manufacturing technologies, including automated X-ray inspection systems that use smart defect detection, fully automated casting and expanded curing capacity to increase production throughput.

Boosting missile Production

“We’re self-funding these new facilities in Arkansas to move at the speed this mission requires,” said Christopher Kubasik, Chairman and CEO, L3Harris. “This expansion boosts our ability to deliver PAC-3 propulsion faster and at greater quantities, while strengthening military readiness and providing proven capability our warfighters depend on.”

L3Harris manufactures several key propulsion components for the PAC-3 MSE interceptor, including its two-pulse solid rocket motor, Attitude Control Motors and the Lethality Enhancer.

The PAC-3 MSE interceptor is designed to defeat tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced airborne threats, making production capacity increasingly important as demand for air and missile defense systems grows.

The company and Arkansas state officials broke ground on the larger AAPF campus in 2025 as part of a long-term effort to modernize U.S. solid rocket motor production.

Modernizing defense manufacturing

Once completed, the Arkansas campus will focus on producing medium- and large-sized solid rocket motors for tactical missiles, air defense interceptors, missile defense targets, hypersonic vehicles and other emerging defense programs.

The expansion also forms part of a much larger manufacturing investment by L3Harris. Across facilities in Arkansas, Alabama and Virginia, the company is building about 60 facilities and increasing its manufacturing footprint by nearly one million square feet.

Growing production capacity has become a priority for the U.S. defense industrial base as the military seeks to replenish inventories while supporting increasing demand for advanced missile systems.

The addition of automated inspection and manufacturing technologies is expected to help reduce production bottlenecks while increasing output for critical propulsion systems.

The new Arkansas facilities are expected to strengthen the company’s role in supplying propulsion technologies for current and next-generation missile defense programs.