Drones and defense propulsion supply chain capacity is expanding after Prometheus Energetics, LLC announced the groundbreaking of a new solid rocket motor manufacturing campus in Indiana. Prometheus described itself as a U.S.-based merchant supplier of solid rocket motors and energetics and said the new campus marks a major milestone as the company transitions from launch phase into full execution of its domestic production strategy.
The ceremony was hosted jointly with the American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation and included senior government leaders, state and local officials, industry partners, and members of the surrounding Indiana community, according to the announcement. Prometheus said the investment is intended to address a growing gap in U.S. solid rocket motor and energetics production that it described as both a supply chain challenge and a national security vulnerability as demand for advanced munitions increases across multiple domains.
Drones And Defense Propulsion Capacity Expands With New Indiana Campus
Prometheus said it will serve as the anchor tenant for the National Security Industrial Hub in Bloomfield, Indiana, and that its planned manufacturing campus will span approximately 600 acres. The company said the site is designed to support four solid rocket motor production lines and deliver up to 800 tons of domestic energetics manufacturing capacity, with room for future expansion.
The announcement described the campus as purpose-built to rapidly scale production by leveraging shared infrastructure and a co-located manufacturing ecosystem. In the middle of its buildout description, Prometheus Energetics said the site is intended to strengthen domestic readiness and restore depth and resiliency to the U.S. defense industrial base.
“Today’s groundbreaking represents far more than the start of construction. It marks the moment when a known vulnerability in America’s solid rocket motor supply chain begins to be closed. Prometheus was created to operate at production scale, delivering trusted, domestically produced energetics systems to meet urgent and long-term U.S. and allied defense needs. This campus is foundational to ensuring readiness is more than a promise, it is a certainty.” Dan Merenda, Chief Operating Officer of Prometheus Energetics
Prometheus stated it is a joint venture between Kratos Defense and Security Solutions and RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems and that the partners have jointly committed up to $175 million in capital to establish Prometheus and its manufacturing campus. The company said the capital commitment includes property, plant, equipment, workforce development, and technology transfer.
Drones And Defense Propulsion Roadmap Targets Production Start In 2027
Prometheus said that following construction and certification of RAFAEL’s manufacturing processes, it is projected to begin solid rocket motor production in 2027. The announcement described RAFAEL as bringing decades of vertically integrated energetics expertise and combat-proven technologies, and it described Kratos as contributing U.S. production experience across multiple propulsion-related areas.
In describing the purpose of the joint venture, Prometheus said it was established to remove bottlenecks in the U.S. energetics supply chain and deliver scalable production at speed as an independent merchant supplier capable of supporting multiple programs. The company framed the campus as part of restoring resiliency in domestic energetics production, which it linked to sustaining deterrence and operational readiness.
The announcement also referenced the broader defense manufacturing context for the partners. Kratos described itself as operating in areas that include propulsion systems for multiple defense applications and unmanned aerial drone systems, while RAFAEL described its approach as supporting localized and resilient production in response to modern defense requirements. Prometheus said the campus will ultimately support large-scale solid rocket motor and energetics production and create high-skilled manufacturing jobs in Indiana through phased development.
Prometheus said it will continue working with the American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation, state and local partners, and federal stakeholders to align the campus buildout with workforce development, infrastructure investment, and national security priorities. The company positioned the new manufacturing campus as a decisive step toward restoring American energetics production at scale and strengthening the defense industrial base.
