September 2026 ground breaking of Avio USA's future solid rocket motor facility in Hurt, Va. Photo: Lockheed Martin

European propulsion company Avio will qualify and produce solid rocket motors as a second source for two Lockheed Martin [LMT]-built weapons, the Extended Range Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (ER GMLRS) and the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), the companies said on Tuesday. The rocket motors will be built at Avio USA’s new facility in Hurt, Va., which is expected to begin production in early 2029 (Defense Daily, Sept. 29). The motors will be co-developed with Lockheed Martin. Initial work by…