Senior Aerojet Rocketdyne officials joined Arkansas State and local leaders to break ground on April 25 on the latest facility in a continuing expansion of the company’s Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket motor center of excellence.
Artistic rendition of Aerojet Rocketdyne Camden Operations’ Engineering, Manufacturing and Development facility due to open in spring of 2020. The facility will support several large solid rocket motor opportunities, including the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program, hypersonics and missile defense targets.
Image is courtesy of the company.
The 17,000 square-foot Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) facility, set to open in spring 2020, will expand the company's decades-long capability of solid rocket motor production in Camden.
The facility was specifically designed to serve as the developmental gateway to future Aerojet Rocketdyne large solid rocket motor product opportunities, to include the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program, hypersonics and missile defense targets.
The expansion represents the latest chapter of Aerojet Rocketdyne’s ongoing partnership with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Calhoun County and the Ouachita Partnership for Economic Development.
Aerojet Rocketdyne has had a presence in Arkansas since 1979 and the firm's current 800-person workforce manufactures 75,000 solid rocket motors annually for programs, including tactical missiles and missile defense. In August of last year, Aerojet Rocketdyne announced plans to further grow the workforce to 900 over the next three years.
Eileen Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne’s CEO and President, said that once open for business, the Engineering, Manufacturing and Development facility will be the newest and most modern rocket development facility in the nation. The company's longstanding partnership with the great state of Arkansas continues to yield impressive results.
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson stated that the aerospace and defense industry continues to be one of the top economic drivers in Arkansas, and that wouldn’t happen without the incredible workforce and their employers. The state is thrilled to see Aerojet Rocketdyne continue to grow in Camden, and Arkansas appreciates the investments they make in this nation’s security.
“
