The Defence Breakthrough: The SMART Demo with Northrop Grumman

Case study

The challenge:

Traditional defence procurement timelines for mission-critical propulsion systems often face complex manufacturing bottlenecks, stretching delivery horizons over several years.

For Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NGC) inaugural Solid Motor Annual Rocket Technology Demonstrator (SMART Demo), the objective was clear: design, build, and test a revolutionary, full-scale solid rocket test motor in less than twelve months. Meeting this goal required an advanced manufacturing intervention to drastically shorten production schedules, reduce component weight, and safely handle high-cost alloys.

The solution:

Northrop Grumman selected GKN Aerospace to provide the foundational technology for the full-scale static test fire of the SMART Demo motor. Grounded at GKN's advanced Global Technology Centre in Fort Worth, Texas, engineers deployed large-scale Laser Metal Deposition with Wire (LMD-w).

Building upon an established relationship—including a joint milestone where GKN manufactured a massive 8-foot titanium demonstrator component—GKN utilized its two decades of AM experience to print key structural components layer by layer. This large-scale process optimized the motor's weight and ensured that premium, high-cost alloys were deposited precisely where needed, eliminating the massive material waste common to traditional machining.

The impact

The SMART Demo static fire was a definitive success, validating that additive manufacturing can radically transform defense supply chain speeds:

  • 75% Shorter lead times: GKN’s ground-breaking LMD-w technology demonstrated production lead time reductions of up to 75%, allowing the rocket motor to be fully developed from scratch in under a year.
  • Resilient defense industrial base: By introducing alternative manufacturing processes, the project successfully bypasses the rigid capacity constraints of the traditional casting and forging industrial base.
  • Maximum alloy efficiency: The precise layering of high-performance metals ensured efficient, low-waste use of expensive aerospace-grade alloys, protecting project budgets.