A public‑private agreement between L3Harris and NAWCWD China Lake aims to increase capacity for critical Tomahawk missile components, including propellant boosters and warheads, to meet rising munitions demand.
L3Harris and the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) China Lake signed a multi‑year agreement to manufacture critical Tomahawk components.
L3Harris has supported Tomahawk production for over 30 years and will produce items such as the Mk 135 solid propellant booster and the blast‑fragmentation warhead.
The agreement is framed as a public‑private partnership to expand industrial capacity and strengthen the supply chain for urgent national security requirements.
The U.S. Navy and defense contractor L3Harris Technologies have entered a multi‑year public‑private agreement with the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) at China Lake to increase manufacturing of key Tomahawk cruise missile components. The deal targets rising capacity needs for munitions and intends to expand domestic production capability for parts used in Raytheon's Tomahawk missile program.
L3Harris will manufacture critical components it has produced for decades, including the Mk 135 solid propellant booster and the blast‑fragmentation warhead. The company has supported Tomahawk production for more than 30 years and already specializes in those propulsion and warhead elements. The partnership model pairs NAWCWD's organic industrial base role with L3Harris's manufacturing footprint to add capacity where needed.
Why the Navy and industry structured it this way
The agreement is explicitly a public‑private partnership. NAWCWD framed its involvement as part of the Organic Industrial Base for Energetics, a role focused on providing government facilities and expertise for energetic materials and components. The government partner aims to work alongside industry to scale up capability and capacity so the Navy can meet warfighter needs faster.
The agreement follows similar public‑private initiatives. L3Harris previously announced a comparable partnership with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division to increase production of Mk 104 solid dual‑thrust rocket motors used in the Standard Missile program. Separately, coverage around Tomahawk production has shown the Navy accelerating manufacturing and modifying contracts in response to increased demand tied to international conflicts.
The immediate effect is a planned increase in domestic production capacity for propulsion and warhead components that feed the Tomahawk supply chain. That should reduce bottlenecks tied to those subcomponents and provide more direct manufacturing control for the Navy and its industrial partners. By pairing government energetics facilities with private manufacturing, the Navy can leverage both to speed delivery and scale when demand spikes.
The public summary does not disclose contract dollar amounts, specific production rates, facility locations beyond China Lake, or a detailed timeline. It also does not specify whether the arrangement includes long‑term sustainment, technology transfer clauses, or expanded workforce plans. Those operational details will determine how rapidly the additional capacity comes online and how durable it will be for future demand.
This multi‑year agreement formalizes cooperation between NAWCWD China Lake and L3Harris to increase production of Tomahawk components the Navy considers critical. It uses a public‑private model the services have applied in other energetics and propulsion programs to expand capacity quickly when munitions demand rises.
Citing a "current international conflict", the U.S. Navy is modifying a SLAM-ER contract with General Dynamics to fast-track Tomahawk warhead production. The post U.S. Navy Accelerates Tomahawk Production Citing ‘Current International Conflict’ appeared first on Naval News .
The U.S. Marine Corps has awarded Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace a contract worth up to $404.4 million for full-rate production and support of Naval Strike Missile launchers and the fire control system that aims them, the U.S. Department of War announced Sept. 25. The firm-fixed-price contract covers the Naval
PATUXENT RIVER, Md. – The Navy took a major step forward today to extend the operational reach of Carrier Strike Groups and existing aviation platforms with cost-effective, scalable systems through a Small Business Innovation Research Phase III production delivery order for the Blackbeard hypersonic missile, total valu
The U.S. Navy has added $76.6 million to a Lockheed Martin contract for continued design work on the next generation of the Trident II D5 nuclear missile, part of a long-term effort meant to keep the submarine-launched weapon in service into the 2080s. The modification adds to an existing contract with Strategic System
Kongsberg has signed a framework agreement with the US Marine Corps covering production and sustainment for the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) launcher unit used in the service’s Navy/Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS). The post Kongsberg wins up to $404m US contract for Naval Strike Missile appeared fi
From lift trucks and telemetry platforms to warehouse management systems and operator assistance technologies, information can be collected constantly across a warehouse operation. However, to turn this data into action, warehouses need an understanding of how all that information fits together. As supply chains become
Loading more related stories...
Open the app view to save this story, compare related coverage, and continue from the same source.