Avio USA, ACMI Properties partner on rocket motor production

Avio USA, a subsidiary of Avio S.p.A., has selected ACMI Properties to design and plan its first solid rocket motor production facility in the United States. The project targets a potential investment in the U.S. industrial base to support the rapid increase in demand for solid rocket motors in the defense and aerospace industries.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with ACMI Properties to evaluate making this investment in the United States,” said retired U.S. Navy Vice Adm. James Syring, CEO of Avio USA. “We are seeing significant demand for our capabilities from our current customers in multiple product lines, and this facility will be critical in creating our production capacity so we can meet the needs of our current and future customers as an independent supplier.”

The project paves the road for Avio's investment in the American market and is expected to create new, high paying jobs. The facility will house production for multiple types of solid rocket motors with applications in defense, space exploration, and commercial aerospace.

“By creating a state-of-the-art solid rocket motor production facility in the U.S., we are strengthening our nation’s industrial base and fostering innovation in aerospace and propulsion technologies,” said Simon Shewmaker, head of development for ACMI Properties. “We are proud to support this critical infrastructure for our defense capabilities and participate in a venture that will have a profound impact on the economic growth and strategic interests of our country.”

Avio USA and ACMI Properties are in the process of evaluating several locations to select the best possible site for the several hundred-acre solid rocket motor production facility. Multiple states are currently under consideration. The evaluation period for the factory’s location is planned to conclude in the first half of 2025.

Avio S.p.A. is present in Italy, France, the United States, and French Guiana with five facilities, employing approximately 1,300 highly qualified personnel. Avio is the prime contractor for the Vega program and a sub-contractor for the Ariane program, both financed by the European Space Agency (ESA).

Avio USA, with headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, is structured to operate in compliance with U.S. security and export-control regulations and is governed by a U.S.-led board of directors. The CEO of Avio USA is retired U.S. Navy Vice Adm. James Syring, former Director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.

ACMI Properties is a commercial real estate development firm focused on the industrial development of mission-critical facilities. ACMI Properties caters to the unique requirements of advanced manufacturing companies in the national security and aerospace industries, with a focus on specialized technologies such as propulsion systems, critical chemicals, hypersonics, space systems, energetics, and scaled manufacturing. ACMI Properties is the property development affiliate of the American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation (ACMI).