# X-Bow's Navy booster deal funds tooling for up to 500 rocket motors a year The prototype agreement, worth up to $69.7 million, pays to develop a solid rocket motor booster for a future Navy missile. Qualifying the motor is a $19.3 million option. Published 2026-10-07 by TGOs. Canonical: https://tgos.io/news/2026/10/07/x-bows-navy-booster-deal-funds-tooling-for-up/ X-Bow Systems said Wednesday it has been awarded a prototype agreement worth up to $69.7 million to develop and qualify a solid rocket motor booster for a Navy next-generation weapon.[1] The agreement also funds rate tooling for a production line of up to 500 motors a year at X-Bow's Luling, Texas, site.[1] That rate tooling goes into a sector where, the Pentagon said in 2022, consolidation had left only two domestic solid rocket motor suppliers.[1][4] X-Bow, a self-described non-traditional manufacturer, says it has delivered more than 2,100 rocket motors under a recently completed production contract.[1] In May it reported end-to-end energetic operations on two manufacturing systems at its Texas facility.[3] The booster adds to Navy motor work X-Bow already holds. It has development contracts for the Standard Missile program's Mk 72 booster and Mk 104 dual-thrust motor, and in January it completed preliminary design review on both.[2] Army Contracting Command-Rock Island administers the agreement, and its first phase runs 12 months.[1] X-Bow says $50 million was obligated at award to incrementally fund that phase, nearly all of its $50.4 million.[1] X-Bow says the new program replaces single-purpose interceptors with a common architecture, including variants that pack more interceptors into each launch system.[1] The company did not name the program or say whether other motor makers received similar agreements.[1] ## Why it matters The next marker for the booster is whether the government exercises the Phase 2 qualification option.[1] X-Bow says the Navy plans to field an initial capability in early fiscal 2031.[1] ## Sources 1. X-Bow Systems, "X-Bow Awarded Nearly $70M to Develop Advanced Booster for Future Navy Missiles," Oct. 7, 2026 2. X-Bow Systems, "X-Bow Completes Preliminary Design Review for Mk 72 and Mk 104 Rocket Motors," Jan. 12, 2026 3. X-Bow Systems, "X-Bow Reaches Milestone in Technology Development for Expansion of U.S. Solid Rocket Motor Production Capacity," May 27, 2026 4. Department of Defense, "State of Competition within the Defense Industrial Base," February 2022