Lockheed Martin and Avio Announce Strategic Cooperation Agreement for Solid Rocket Motor Production

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 13, 2026--

Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Avio announced a strategic cooperation agreement for the production of solid rocket motors (SRMs). This collaboration will accelerate and expand the SRM industrial base with key manufacturing capabilities, bringing resiliency to a vital U.S. supply chain.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261013766935/en/

THE BIG PICTURE

After qualification, initial work will focus on the production of solid rocket motors for the Extended Range GMLRS ® (ER GMLRS) and the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM). SRM production for these essential programs will be performed at Avio USA’s new state-of-the-art facility in Hurt, Virgina, drawing on the longstanding solid propulsion expertise of its parent company, Avio S.p.A. (EXM: AVIO).

WHY IT MATTERS

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

This strategic cooperation agreement between Lockheed Martin and Avio USA will strengthen the U.S. SRM industrial base, bolstering the defense supply chain and enabling our troops to have access to reliable, high-performance munitions to defend our nation and its allies.

About Lockheed Martin

About Avio USA

Avio USA Inc., headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, is a subsidiary of Avio S.p.A. structured to operate in compliance with U.S. security and export-control regulations. The company is governed by a U.S.-based board of directors and led by CEO James Syring, a retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral and former Director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. Avio USA is building a growing U.S. engineering, manufacturing and operations presence, leveraging Avio’s global propulsion expertise to expand domestic production and serve as an independent supplier to U.S. defense customers and industry partners. Learn more at AvioUSA.com.

About Avio

Avio S.p.A. (EXM: AVIO) is a leading international group engaged in the manufacturing and development of space launchers and solid, liquid and cryogenic propulsion systems. The experience and know-how built up over more than 50 years puts Avio at the cutting edge of the space launcher sector and defense programs. Avio is present in Italy, France, the United States and French Guiana, employing more than 1,500 highly qualified personnel. Avio is the prime contractor for the Vega program and a subcontractor for the Ariane program, as well as a leading solid rocket motor subcontractor for the design and manufacturing of major European tactical missile programs. Learn more at Avio.com.

Avio USA CEO James Syring (L) and Lockheed Martin MFC President Tim Cahill announce a strategic cooperation agreement for the production of solid rocket motors at AUSA Annual Meeting 2026.

Cornell University is suspending parties and other social events at fraternity houses for the rest of the academic year and will give the New York State Police a role in investigating sex crimes on campus, university officials announced Tuesday, amid mounting outrage over its handling of allegations that a female student was sexually assaulted at a fraternity house in 2024.

The measures announced by Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff include a suspension of all parties and social events at Interfraternity Council houses through the end of the 2026-27 academic year and a new “zero tolerance” policy for violations that would result in the immediate emergency suspension of a chapter.

“These measures will provide time for a thorough review of fraternity life at Cornell to determine whether and how it can safely continue,” Kotlikoff wrote in a letter to the campus community.

He also committed to adding a case manager to the school’s Office of Civil Rights to help those who report sexual misconduct on the Cornell campus navigate the process, and to working with the New York State Police to allow their criminal investigators — who are independent of Cornell — to investigate allegations.

Crimes reported on Cornell’s campus are generally investigated by campus police, a department that has full law enforcement powers but is controlled by the university. The campus police force operates independently from municipal police in Ithaca, New York, where the university is located. Its officers investigated the 2024 gang rape allegations and presented their initial findings to the Tompkins County district attorney, who declined to prosecute within weeks of the woman making her first report to police.

New York’s governor removed the district attorney from the case this month after a public outcry over the lack of charges.

The investigation is now being led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, while Cornell has hired former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates to conduct an independent review of the university’s response. New York State Police sometimes handle major crime investigations for small municipal police agencies, bringing in expertise that isn’t available locally.

Demonstrators march from the Washington Monument to the White House during a "Stop Sexual Violence" protest in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)