By Mike Stone
WASHINGTON, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Donald Trump Jr.-backed defense startup Firehawk Defense was valued at more than $1.4 billion in a new financing round, it said on Wednesday, as private capital seeks to profit from shortages in tactical munitions.
By the end of 2027, the Dallas-based startup expects to become the largest producer of artillery motors and the third-largest producer of rocket propellant by weight in the United States, challenging an industrial base long dominated by a duopoly
of legacy defense prime contractors, L3Harris and Northrop Grumman.
Private equity firm Advent International and Kyle Bass' Rochefort Asset Management co-led the $150 million round. Previous investors include Donald Trump Jr.-backed venture capital firm 1789 Capital.
Unlike legacy suppliers that mix and cure propellants over weeks, Firehawk uses a continuous thermoplastic process that can mold propellant into the solid fuel cores of motors within hours. The company is focusing strictly on high-volume, small-diameter munitions under 13 inches (33 cm) — such as 155mm artillery base-bleed motors, rocket-assisted take-off motors and Hydra-70 rockets.
Base-bleed motors attach to the bottom of standard artillery shells, burning a small amount of propellant to reduce aerodynamic drag and extend firing range by up to 30%. The 2.75-inch Hydra-70, a legacy unguided rocket historically launched from helicopters, is increasingly paired with laser-guidance kits to provide low-cost interceptors against aerial drones.
Firehawk will use the capital to expand its 320-acre (130-hectare) Great Plains Arsenal in Lawton, Oklahoma, and an integration facility in Crawford, Mississippi. The Oklahoma site will reach low-rate production by mid-2027 before scaling to tens of thousands of motors per month by late next year.
The startup plans to produce over 100,000 artillery motors next year under a commercial agreement with General Dynamics, starting with sales for allied nations while running a 12-to-18-month qualification process for the US Army.
(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
