Rocket motor production begins at Northrop Grumman's new modernized tactical motor manufacturing facility

Northrop Grumman Corporation announced that rocket motor production operations have begun at its new modernized tactical motor manufacturing facility located at the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (ABL) in West Virginia. The opening of the new plant helps meet an increased demand for rocket motors across the US military services – particularly insensitive munitions rocket motors for the US Army.

Designed to optimize manufacturing flow and reduce travel time between operations, the new multi-building facility, encompassing more than 50,000 square feet of manufacturing space, is projected to cut a product's travel distance throughout the manufacturing process by 80 percent. The plant was built on previously undeveloped property on ABL's 1,600 acre campus.

"We've created a flexible and efficient production line that leverages lean manufacturing techniques and will help lower production costs," said Pat Nolan, vice president, missile products, Northrop Grumman. "We intend to continue our investments in rocket motor technologies that make our warfighters safer, as well as enhancing the safety and efficiency in our production facilities so we can continue to deliver the capacity and cutting-edge technology that our military services need to execute their missions."

Operations at the Navy-owned ABL facility encompass more than 1.25 million square feet of manufacturing space. With more than 1,300 employees at its ABL location, Northrop Grumman is the third largest manufacturing employer and largest defense contractor in West Virginia.