X-Bow Systems, a solid rocket motor manufacturer focused on additive manufacturing, has secured a deal with Leidos to develop and build rocket boosters for the U.S. Army's Low-Cost Containerized Munition (LCCM) project. The program falls under the broader "Arsenal of Freedom" initiative aimed at rebuilding America's defense industrial base.
X-Bow founder and CEO Jason Hundley tied the project to modern warfare's emphasis on volume. "Modern conflict is decided by how many rounds you can put downrange, not how exquisite each one is," he said, adding that the Leidos collaboration would help the company "turn out combat-ready rocket motors at production scale, fast." X-Bow was founded in 2016 and says it has already produced over 2,100 combat-ready rocket motors.
Additive manufacturing still faces competition from conventional methods, but the source notes that 3D printing handles complex geometries better for some solid rocket motors and speeds up design iteration. X-Bow says it can create and build new designs in days, whereas traditional defense contractors can take months or years to prototype and test rocket motors.
Other organizations are also exploring 3D-printed propulsion, including a successful static-fire test of 3D-printed rocket propellant by Chromic 3D Materials and a cryogenic rocket engine demonstration by Indian startup Othisis. The Tom's Hardware report also points to the war in Ukraine as the first large-scale showcase of drones and 3D printing on the battlefield, helping explain why larger militaries like the United States and Japan are pursuing lower-cost weapons. This article is based solely on that single source; no other sources were available for comparison.