X-Bow Systems

About X-Bow Systems

X-Bow Systems, founded in 2016 by CEO Jason Hundley, Mark Kaufman, and Maureen Gannon, is a defense technology company focused on disrupting the solid rocket motor (SRM) and launch vehicle market. The company aims to modernize the U.S. defense industrial base, which has historically relied on a few key suppliers using older, more expensive manufacturing processes. Hundley, a Marine veteran and former NASA researcher, brings two decades of experience in space exploration and defense technology to the company.

X-Bow's core innovation is its patented Additive Manufacturing of Solid Propellant (AMSP) technology. This process enables a more rapid, flexible, and cost-effective method for producing SRMs compared to traditional techniques. The company has developed two key manufacturing systems based on AMSP: the "Rocket Factory in a Box" (RFIB™), a mobile and containerized production unit for agile deployment, and Gen-0, an industrial-scale system for high-volume production. This approach allows X-Bow to serve as a non-traditional supplier for the defense and national security industries, offering customizable SRMs with shorter lead times.

The company's business model is centered on supplying SRMs and integrated launch vehicles to government and commercial clients, positioning itself as an independent supplier for major defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Its client base includes the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Army. X-Bow develops and builds a range of products, from tactical motors to large strategic systems for hypersonics and missile defense, including the low-cost Buckler interceptor. The firm also provides rocket-assisted takeoff (RATO) kits for drones.

Headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, X-Bow operates production and testing facilities in Texas and has received significant investment from venture capital firms and strategic partners, including Lockheed Martin Ventures and Boeing. The company has secured numerous high-value contracts, including a $60 million STRATFI award and an $11 million contract from the MDA to develop a low-cost interceptor. These milestones underscore X-Bow's growing role in expanding the U.S. industrial base for solid rocket propulsion.