Firehawk launches Oklahoma rocket motor plant

Firehawk has broken ground on its Great Plains Arsenal in Lawton, Oklahoma, opening the next phase of the company’s push to expand U.S. production of rocket motors and propellant.

The ceremony took place on April 2, 2026, with company executives, investors, and Oklahoma officials attending what Firehawk described as a major step in scaling up domestic manufacturing for defense propulsion systems.

The Dallas-based company said the site will increase its capacity to produce propellant and rocket motors at speed and scale, part of a broader effort to strengthen the U.S. supply chain for munitions and advanced energetics.

The new facility is planned as a 340-acre production site, giving Firehawk a large industrial footprint in one of the country’s established defense manufacturing corridors. Lawton’s proximity to military infrastructure and the growing focus on U.S.-based production make the location strategically important for future rocket and missile programs.

Several investment partners joined the groundbreaking, including representatives from 1789 Capital, Echo, Harbert, and Plains Ventures. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell, Senator James Lankford, Congressman Tom Cole, Congressman Kevin Hern, state Representative Trey Caldwell, FISTA CEO Krista Ratliff, and Lawton Mayor Stanley Booker were also present.

Last year, Firehawk completed the first flight test of its additively manufactured GMLRS-class Firehawk Analog, a 3D-printed hybrid rocket engine system developed under its Phase III SBIR contract with the Army Applications Laboratory.

During that test, the rocket climbed to more than 18,000 feet and exceeded the speed of sound after launching from a mobile test platform. Firehawk said the flight demonstrated both directional stability and thrust performance, key indicators for propulsion systems intended for military applications.

That earlier test helped establish the technical case for moving into larger-scale manufacturing.

Firehawk’s core focus is the production of munitions, rockets, and motors powered by 3D-printed propellant. Unlike traditional manufacturing methods, additive production allows engineers to create more complex internal propellant geometries, which directly shape how a rocket motor burns and performs in flight.

The company said it also operates a DCMA-rated rocket system integration facility in Mississippi and carries out static fire and flight testing at two West Texas sites, including a 30-square-mile launch range.

Taken together, the company now has an expanding footprint that spans design, propulsion testing, systems integration, and now scaled production.

The Lawton plant is the clearest sign yet that Firehawk is moving beyond demonstration work and into sustained manufacturing capacity.