Anduril Industries and Raytheon (an RTX business) successfully completed a static-fire test of an advanced solid rocket motor using a Highly Loaded Grain (HLG) design, validated in partnership with Raytheon Advanced Technology and the Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate. Built by Anduril with tech from China Lake and Raytheon oversight, the HLG configuration holds more energetic propellant and boosts specific impulse and motor performance—translating into longer range and improved tactical capability for air-to-air weapons. The test supports Anduril’s push to rebuild US SRM production capacity, backed by a new full‑scale facility in Mississippi and over $75 million in private investment. Anduril writes:
Anduril Industries and Raytheon, an RTX business, successfully completed a static fire test of an advanced solid rocket motor (SRM) featuring a Highly Loaded Grain (HLG) configuration — a major advancement in propulsion technology for air-to-air weapon systems.
The test was conducted in partnership with Raytheon’s Advanced Technology business and the Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate. It validated the performance of a heavywall SRM configured in a HLG configuration built by Anduril.
The HLG design is developed and built by Anduril using technology from Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. Raytheon’s Advanced Technology team provided crucial technical expertise and oversight throughout the development, design, and execution phases of the test activities conducted by Anduril. The design enables significantly greater volumes of energetic propellant, delivering increased specific impulse and enhanced motor performance. These improvements translate directly into extended range and greater tactical advantage for U.S. and allied warfighters.
Successful static fire testing reflects Anduril’s broader investment in restoring and expanding the U.S. solid rocket motor industrial base. In August, Anduril commissioned its full-scale SRM production facility in Mississippi. Backed by more than $75 million in private investment, the facility will bring the much-needed scale, resiliency, and innovation to allied SRM manufacturing.
By successfully advancing this propulsion system for Raytheon, Anduril is helping shape the next era of air-launched weapons — equipping warfighters with the speed, range, and precision required to dominate the battlespace.
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