Kacey Roberts
Northrop Grumman has completed static fire tests of a new 21-inch second-stage solid rocket motor for the U.S. Navy in support of the service branch’s aim of rapidly deploying a low-risk SRM to achieve extended-range hypersonic capabilities.
In a statement Friday, Gordon LoPresti, senior director of propulsion systems and control at Northrop, said, “The SRM test fires were successfully accomplished in less than a year, from design to demonstration, and give us a unique, affordable, versatile extended-range capability to help the U.S. Navy deter and defeat air, surface and land threats.”
The motor was designed to enhance range and speed across various missions and platforms, including air warfare, surface warfare, land strikes and ballistic missile defense.
The demonstration occurred on Nov. 21 at Northrop’s advanced propulsion facility in Elkton, Maryland.
In August, the aerospace and defense company also completed a static fire test of a second stage SRM that was designed and manufactured using a digital environment.
