Apr 07, 2026, 08:00 ET
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., April 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- X-Bow Systems Inc (X-Bow), the leading non-traditional producer of advanced manufactured solid rocket motors (SRMs), sub-orbital launch solutions and defense technologies, today announced a $12.2 million contract with AEVEX to produce rocket-assisted take-off (RATO) kits for AEVEX's Disruptor drone. X-Bow will deliver hundreds of production kits and thousands of SRMs and components between March and August 2026, demonstrating its ability to rapidly transition from contract award to fielded combat capability in just a few months.
X-Bow’s RATO2 motor launching a Group 3 drone.X-Bow's RATO² (Rapidly Assembled Tactical Option for Rocket-Assisted Takeoff ™) system, which include solid rocket motors and launch cradles, allows drones to take off from unprepared surfaces and confined spaces, significantly expanding operational flexibility in modern conflict zones.
"Our ability to go from contract award to fielded combat capability in just a few months is exactly what today's rapidly evolving defense landscape demands," said Jason Hundley, Founder and CEO of X-Bow. "This contract validates our ability to build fast, field faster and deliver now to meet urgent defense needs."
Notably, this marks the first-ever high-volume use of X-Bow's patented Additive Manufactured Solid Propellant (AMSP) in solid rocket motors, showcasing X-Bow's proprietary technology leadership. This unique propellant formulation represents a significant advancement in SRM capabilities, offering potential improvements in performance and affordability for customers.
The global military drone market is projected to grow significantly, with increasing demand for systems capable of operating in diverse environments. X-Bow's RATO² technology addresses this need by enabling drones to operate from a wider range of locations and potentially extending their payload capacity and range.
This latest contract caps a series of recent awards for X-Bow, totaling $212 million in the past six months. Unlike traditional defense contractors, X-Bow's agile approach and proprietary manufacturing processes reduce time-to-market for critical defense technologies from years to months. This rapid turnaround from contract to delivery exemplifies X-Bow's unique ability to meet the pressing demands of today's dynamic global security environment.
Looking ahead, X-Bow plans to expand its product portfolio to address emerging needs aligned with the latest defense priorities. This includes hypersonic propulsion, low-cost and advanced missile defense systems including space-based interceptors and evolved sub-orbital space launch systems. X-Bow is also enhancing its surge-capable production to meet rapidly evolving defense requirements, particularly in critical munitions and propulsion systems.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., May 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- X-Bow Systems Inc (X-Bow®), a U.S. non-traditional manufacturer of solid rocket motors (SRMs), sub-orbital launch solutions and defense technologies, announced end-to-end energetic operations for two manufacturing systems at its Texas facility, marking a recent milestone in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) Rapid Energetics & Advanced Rocket Manufacturing (RE-ARM) program.
X-Bow’s Rocket Factory in a Box (RFIB™) – a deployable, parallelizable, and containerized manufacturing center designed to provide agile solid rocket motor production capabilities.X-Bow’s Gen-0 industrial-scale manufacturing system designed to increase national production capacity and ensure a reliable supply of solid rocket motors for national defense.The Rocket Factory in a Box (RFIB™) is a deployable, parallelizable, and containerized manufacturing center for solid rocket motor propellants, enabling rapid, flexible, and affordable production. Gen-0, installed at X-Bow's fixed site in Texas, is designed to bring these capabilities to industrial scale and transition from development to high-volume production.
"RFIB and Gen-0 are new models to enable surge production in the United States when it matters most," said Jason Hundley, Founder and CEO of X-Bow. "Our vision for production is a few million pounds of solid propellant per year, with options to significantly increase that as we scale to meet national needs."
X-Bow's patented Advanced Manufacturing of Solid Propellant (AMSP™) technology is the foundation for both RFIB and Gen-0. AMSP provides a modern approach that enables greater precision, flexibility, and efficiency compared to traditional methods.
"The RE-ARM program is forging advanced technologies for rapid, affordable, flexible, and scalable manufacturing of solid rocket motors in support of national defense, with the goal of expanding and sustaining surge capacity for production of integrated missile capabilities," said Dr. Javier Urzay, Chief of the Rocket and Space Propulsion Division of AFRL.
X-Bow is on contract with AFRL to develop and demonstrate AMSP technologies for solid rocket motor manufacturing.
Ms. Ratcliff stated, "It is a national imperative that DoD seek new and rapid alternative sources of solid rocket motor production that provide the Department's decisions makers options that not only meet DoD's operational needs but bring capabilities and capacity to bear that grow the defense industrial base (DIB). X-Bow is a critical partner in the DIB ecosystem that aims to provide technical overmatch in the Hypersonics domain."
Lockheed, also the world's largest defense contractor by revenue, "does not enter these agreements lightly, is what we understand," he added. "They get their choice of investments in these areas."
The latest: The arrangement coincides with the closure of X-Bow's Series B funding round at a little more than $105 million.
Investors include Razor's Edge Ventures, Crosslink Capital, Balerion Space Ventures and Capital Factory Ventures.
Lockheed Martin Ventures and Boeing Ventures were early backers, as well.
Between the lines: X-Bow (pronounced crossbow) is among a handful of fresh SRM competitors in the U.S. The cadre's breakout comes as pricey munitions are expended across the world and the Pentagon sweats industrial health back home.
State of play: X-Bow is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is building an energetics campus near Austin, Texas. It will open soon.
The company also offers a "rocket factory in a box" for distributed, on-demand production.
Its approximately 300 employees include SpaceX alumni.
Context: X-Bow has inked contracts across the military and, Hundley said, "all the services are ... experiencing the same pinch point at the same time."
"We've been focused on two factors for the last several years: scale and affordability," he said.
The company was previously tapped for work tied to the Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon and the Navy's Conventional Prompt Strike.
