L3Harris Opens Arsenal of Freedom Rocket Motor Plant in Camden

L3Harris Technologies (LHX ) opened its new Arsenal of Freedom solid rocket motor production facility in Camden, Arkansas, on October 20, 2026, joined by federal, state and local leaders. L3Harris said it designed the facility to double current solid rocket motor capacity, with additional growth available.

The new facility, along with additional propellant processing facilities, will support production for the U.S. Army’s Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS). The new footprint centralizes production of the solid rocket motors that power the surface-to-surface precision fires capability.

Completion of the facility is part of a $216 million cooperative agreement L3Harris signed with the Department of War in 2023 to support increased demand for tactical missiles, including Javelin, Stinger and the GMLRS. The Defense Production Act Title III cooperative agreement included building new facilities at the company’s Camden, Arkansas, and Orange County, Virginia, locations, as well as equipment and digital upgrades at its Huntsville, Alabama, facilities.

Federal and State Officials at the Opening

Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael P. Duffey called rocket propulsion a vital national security capability and said the new facility enhances L3Harris’ capabilities and “represents a critical leap forward in solid rocket motor production capacity,” helping joint forces and allies maintain a resilient, responsive and secure supply chain for precision munitions.

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she took part in the groundbreaking for the company’s Arkansas Advanced Propulsion Facilities campus late last year and that the newly opened facility will soon begin producing motors. She described Camden as an anchor of the defense industry.

“The opening of this state-of-the-art facility marks a major step forward in strengthening the solid rocket motor industrial base our nation and its allies urgently need,” said Ken Bedingfield, President of Missile Solutions at L3Harris. He said the facility showcases government-industry collaboration and an expansion model the company is implementing nationwide, one that brings together advanced automation, digital manufacturing and highly trained artisans.

Senator John Boozman of Arkansas said increasing solid rocket motor production capacity will help ensure U.S. soldiers have the tools they need, and that the state’s congressional delegation has supported efforts including the establishment of a new regional workforce training center in Camden.

Senator Tom Cotton called the facility a welcome investment and said L3Harris’ ongoing expansion will bring new jobs to the region, adding that he worked with the congressional delegation, Sanders and the U.S. Army to help bring the project to Arkansas.

Representative Bruce Westerman said the facility will continue to support the nation’s munitions arsenal and increase capacity, quality and speed, and that the company’s ongoing investments will bring new jobs and opportunities to Arkansans.

Arkansas Secretary of Commerce Hugh McDonald said L3Harris manufactures its solid rocket motors at the Highland Industrial Park in Camden, which he described as a critical hub for aerospace and defense manufacturing for the United States and its allies.

Camden Expansion Projects

The opening extends a wider build-out at the Camden site. L3Harris and Arkansas officials broke ground on the Arkansas Advanced Propulsion Facilities (AAPF) campus on November 18, 2025, a project the company said will include more than 20 buildings across 110 acres and is expected to increase large solid rocket motor manufacturing capacity six-fold, specializing in medium and large rocket motors for tactical and air defense missiles, missile defense targets, interceptors and hypersonic vehicles. The campus will add 230,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space to the broader 2,000-acre site, bringing total manufacturing square footage to more than 1.5 million, and of the more than $400 million campus investment L3Harris plans to spend $193 million with Arkansas businesses. The company has produced rocket motors in Camden since 1979, and the location produces more than 115,000 solid rocket motors a year.

On June 24, 2026, L3Harris broke ground on two additional facilities on the AAPF campus to support increased production capacity for the U.S. Army’s PAC-3 propulsion systems: a roughly 75,000-square-foot cast, cure and final assembly facility and a roughly 70,000-square-foot case preparation facility. Chairman and CEO Christopher Kubasik said the company is self-funding the two buildings. L3Harris produces the PAC-3 MSE interceptor’s two-pulse solid rocket motor, Attitude Control Motors and Lethality Enhancer, and the facilities are planned to incorporate automated X-ray inspection systems using AI for rapid defect detection, fully automated casting and expanded curing capacity.

Across its propulsion business, L3Harris said it is investing billions across Arkansas, California, Virginia and Alabama, building approximately 60 new facilities and incorporating new equipment and processes, investments the company expects will help double, triple and quadruple propulsion production rates for a range of key programs. The June 2026 announcement described a build-out of approximately 60 facilities adding nearly 1 million square feet across production sites in Alabama, Arkansas and Virginia. The November 2025 announcement said the company was investing more than half a billion dollars at its major solid rocket motor sites, including Culpeper, Virginia; Camden, Arkansas; and Huntsville, Alabama.