Avio S.p.A.'s headquarters in Colleferro, Italy. Photo: Avio

Avio USA on Tuesday broke ground on the initial phase of a planned 860,000 square foot solid rocket motor complex in Southern Virginia that is expected to begin production in early 2029 supporting missile programs of Lockheed Martin [LMT] and RTX’s [RTX] Raytheon business. The rocket motor plant in Hurt, Va., will initially host four production lines, one for the Mk 104 dual thrust second-stage motor that powers the Raytheon-built Standard 2, 3 and 6 ship-launched air defense missiles, another…