RTX’s Raytheon and Avio USA expand collaboration to accelerate Mk 104 rocket motor production

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Raytheon, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, and Avio USA have executed a purchase order for funding of up to $26 million for continued engineering work on the Mk 104 dual-thrust rocket motor to support Raytheon’s Standard Missile franchise.

The purchase order comes 13 months after the businesses signed a contract for preliminary engineering work on the Mk 104 rocket motor. This project secures funding through the Critical Design Review phase, procurement of long lead material for qualification, and will enable increased and accelerated capacity for solid rocket motor production.  

“This purchase order represents an important step in expanding our supply chain to ensure the resilience and availability of the Mk 104 rocket motor,” said Barbara Borgonovi, president of Naval Power at Raytheon. “By strategically implementing second sourcing for critical materials, we are not only enhancing our ability to meet customer demand but also strengthening our production capacity for the Standard Missile franchise.”

Prior to this purchase order, the companies successfully completed both a System Requirements Review and Preliminary Design Review, establishing a solid foundation for the next phases of development and production.

“We are proud to continue our work on Mk 104, which is so critical to the United States and our allies,” said VADM (Ret.) James Syring, CEO, Avio USA. “We look forward to advancing the motor through full qualification and into production in the future.” 

“Avio is happy to support Avio USA on the Mk 104 activities, providing its longstanding expertise on SRM engineering, material characterization, laboratory and fire testing, sourcing and motor integration with the aim to ultimately support Raytheon’s accelerated ability to deliver to their end customers,” said Giulio Ranzo, CEO of Avio SpA.

Source: RTX