Northrop Grumman’s SMART Demo program test fires two new SRMs in less than 12 months

US Defence giant Northrop Grumman has successfully tested the first of two new Solid Rocket Motors (SRM) — SMASH!22 and BAMM!29 2.0 — which were designed and manufactured in 2025 under the company’s SMART Demo program. This milestone marks a key achievement in the project’s most ambitious year by delivering both motors in under 12 months.

Northrop Grumman has invested over US$1 billion ($1.5 billion) in the past seven years to significantly increase production capacity for SRMs and deliver at speed and scale. To date, the company has delivered 1.3 million motors. It acquired the original designer and manufacturer of many of these, Orbital ATK, in 2018 and is one of a number of companies waiting for the Australian Department of Defence to name both a site and a manufacturer for the SRMs powering the missiles it intends to acquire; last week it announced the first of these, the Lockheed Martin GMLRS, would be manufactured at an all-new facility close to the Proof and Experimental Establishment at Port Wakefield, SA.

The static test fire of SMASH!22, the 22-inch diameter Solid Motor Adaptable, Scalable, Half Time/Cost solid rocket motor configuration, evaluated several innovative incorporations such as advanced manufacturing and new materials that could speed development and production, boost performance and lower costs.

The test generated a comprehensive suite of data that will further the team’s understanding of the demonstrated technologies.

The second motor, the 29-inch diameter Bombardment Attack Missile Motor called BAMM!29 2.0, is slated for static testing in early 2026, continuing the momentum of the SMART Demo initiative.

The SMART Demo program is designed to tailor solid rocket motor designs to meet specific industry needs. Northrop Grumman developed both the SMASH and BAMM motors leveraging knowledge from previous projects while integrating advanced tooling, additively manufactured components, and a diversified supplier base. 

In the meantime, Northrop Grumman and Australian company Titomic Limited have designed and tested cold-sprayed, additively manufactured metal components for solid rocket motors. 

With this collaboration, and other industry-leading initiatives such as the SMART Demo, Northrop Grumman is demonstrating and qualifying new processes, technologies and materials to rapidly advance SRM innovations for current and future production programs. 

Northrop Grumman’s Solid Motor Annual Rocket Technology Demonstrator (SMART Demo) is an annual effort to design, develop, build and test a new solid rocket motor and its associated tooling. The SMART Demo provides a platform for the company to demonstrate technologies that are the first of their kind for the solid rocket motor industry including complex, additively manufactured SRM components and tooling, alternative manufacturing materials, and advanced processes that can significantly reduce SRM costs and production lead times. Each year the design, including configuration and performance, is tailored to specific industry or warfighter needs.