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A new manufacturing facility has broken ground in Hurt, Virginia.
HITT Contracting, the eighth largest contractor in the country by revenuehas progressed in the new Avio USA, 900,000 square foot solid rocket engine plantthe contractor announced last week.
Avio USA, a subsidiary of Italian rocket and propulsion firm Avio SpA, will use the facility to produce thousands of solid rocket motors annually for US tactical missile programs, according to the announcement. Customers and end users include companies such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. The installation represents an investment of 500 million dollarsaccording to a Sept. 30 announcement by Rep. John McGuire, R-Va.
HITT will act as the general contractor for the construction, according to the firm’s announcement.
Josh Foreso, HITT’s executive vice president, told Construction Dive via email that the team was making careful planning considerations for construction. It has more than 35 separate structures designed for the construction of protection, environmental controls and administrative spaces.
“The complex topography of the site poses construction challenges for logistics, but works well for the final design of the facility and its long-term functionality,” said Foreso.
Avio’s new manufacturing facility is one of the latest in a wave of solid rocket engine construction projectsaccording to Westside Construction Group, a commercial general contractor based in Churchville, New York. In May, the contractor pegged the surge at more than $3 billion and one of the most concentrated increases in defense manufacturing since World War II.
In fact, the inspector general of the Department of Defense recently reported that the Iran war has led the US ammunition shortageaccording to NBC News.
Construction is expected to be completed in 2028, while production is expected to begin in early 2029.
