Firehawk Aerospace

About Firehawk Aerospace

Firehawk Aerospace, operating publicly as Firehawk Defense, is an energetics company founded in 2019 by Will Edwards, Steve Edwards, and Ronald Jones. The company is headquartered in Addison, Texas, with additional research, testing, and production facilities in Texas, Oklahoma, and Mississippi. Firehawk aims to address supply chain constraints in the U.S. munitions and energetics industrial base by replacing conventional rocket propulsion production with additive manufacturing. The company's core technology is the 3D printing of solid rocket fuel and hybrid rocket engines. Its proprietary thermoplastic-based propellant, branded 3D-Ultra, can be manufactured layer-by-layer, allowing for complex fuel grain geometries that were previously impossible with traditional casting methods. This process significantly reduces production timelines from months to weeks, enhances safety by removing hazardous handling, and allows for rapid, scalable manufacturing. Firehawk's product line includes solid rocket motors, hybrid rocket engines, and base bleed motors designed for missiles, artillery munitions, and space launch systems. These systems are engineered to be cost-effective, with a simplified architecture that reduces manufacturing overhead. Firehawk serves the defense and aerospace markets, with a primary focus on providing propulsion solutions for the U.S. Department of Defense and allied nations. The company has secured multiple contracts, including a Phase III Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract with the Army Applications Laboratory and a Tactical Funding Increase contract from the U.S. Air Force's AFWERX program. It has successfully flight-tested several systems, including a GMLRS-class hybrid rocket and Javelin and Stinger-class analogs, demonstrating the technology's adaptability as drop-in replacements for existing weapon systems. The company has raised significant capital to scale its operations from research and development to full-scale production. Its funding history includes a $2 million seed round in 2020, a Series A investment from Raytheon in 2022, and an oversubscribed $60 million Series C round in 2025. This latest round was led by 1789 Capital and included strategic investment from European defense investors Presto Tech Horizons, a joint venture with Czechoslovak Group (CSG), to bolster the defense supply chain for NATO and its allies. Keywords: additive manufacturing, 3D printed propellant, solid rocket motors, hybrid rocket engines, defense technology, energetics, propulsion systems, munitions supply chain, missile systems, artillery systems, aerospace, US Army, US Air Force, AFWERX, SBIR, rocket fuel, defense industrial base, thermoplastic propellant, tactical rockets, GMLRS, Javelin, Stinger, base bleed, rocket manufacturing, defense contracts, ordnance