Northrop Grumman Asks FTC to Vacate 2018 Solid Rocket Motor Consent Order

Northrop Grumman petitioned the Federal Trade Commission on April 2 to drop a 2018 consent order imposed when the company acquired Orbital ATK. The order requires Northrop Grumman to supply solid rocket motors to its competitors on a non-discriminatory basis and to firewall its solid rocket motor business away from its other operations.

Breaking Defense reported that the FTC put the measures in place because Northrop Grumman was a prime contractor and Orbital ATK was one of only two American makers of solid rocket motors.

Lockheed Martin is lining up to publicly oppose Northrop Grumman’s petition to the FTC. A Lockheed spokesperson stated that removal of the order would “limit affordable access to SRMs,” potentially jeopardizing readiness and weakening the industrial base. Northrop Grumman is not a major manufacturer in the American missile space, which is dominated by Raytheon and Lockheed.

Northrop Grumman stated: “We stand behind the strength of our petition. The company’s push comes as the Pentagon seeks to ramp up production of missiles and backfill stockpiles, an effort that depends on also ramping up manufacture of solid rocket motors. The FTC’s decision on the petition could affect those Pentagon plans.

If the order is dropped, Northrop Grumman would be able to vertically integrate its solid rocket motor business with any munitions it designs in the future. That integration could allow the company to prioritize SRM supplies for its own programs over competitors.

U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman conducted a full-scale qualification static fire test of the Sentinel ICBM stage-one solid rocket motor. The test took place on March 6, 2025 at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Promontory, Utah.

U.S. Air Force photo caption confirmed the joint test of the solid rocket motor. The 2018 consent order was crafted at a time when concerns centered on preserving competition in the solid rocket motor market. Northrop Grumman’s petition argues that lifting the restrictions would improve its ability to support critical munitions programs.

Lockheed Martin’s planned opposition sets up a direct clash between two major defense contractors before the FTC.