Lockheed Martin and Venus Aerospace collaborate to advance next-generation propulsion for long-range precision fires. Business · JUL 21, 2026 PR Newswire DALLAS, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Venus Aerospace announced a joint technology development agreement to evaluate and m... DALLAS, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Venus Aerospace announced a joint technology development agreement to evaluate and mature Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) technology for future long-range precision fires applications, accelerating the transition of advanced propulsion from flight demonstration to operational capability. The collaboration combines Venus Aerospace's flight-tested propulsion technology with Lockheed Martin's expertise in developing, integrating and rapidly fielding advanced defense systems. Together, the companies will assess how this emerging propulsion architecture could support next-generation precision fires capabilities that require greater range, speed and operational flexibility. THE BIG PICTURE As threats evolve and mission demands multiply, the U.S. Department of War is seeking technologies that deliver meaningful performance improvements while remaining affordable, manufacturable and scalable. By combining emerging propulsion technologies with proven launch systems, precision guidance and production expertise, Lockheed Martin continues to expand the pipeline of future capabilities available to the U.S. and its allies. WHY IT MATTERS * Rotating detonation propulsion could enable future precision fires systems to achieve significantly greater range and speed while remaining compatible with the Army's need for affordable, scalable production. * Unlike conventional rocket engines that rely on subsonic combustion, RDREs generate thrust through continuously traveling detonation waves. This approach has the potential to improve propulsion efficiency while reducing complexity, enabling systems to travel farther and respond faster to emerging threats. * The agreement enables Lockheed Martin to evaluate RDRE technology within the context of operational military requirements to transition the advanced propulsion concept from a subsystem demonstration environment into practical missile applications. * Lockheed Martin's expertise in system integration and advanced manufacturing allows advanced technologies to move more quickly from laboratory development into deployable defense solutions that can be produced at scale. * By working with innovative U.S. technology companies, Lockheed Martin is strengthening the nation's defense industrial base and helping accelerate advanced manufacturing capabilities critical to future readiness. EXPERT PERSPECTIVE * "Lockheed Martin is focused on rapidly delivering advanced capabilities that strengthen deterrence and provide decisive advantages for the warfighter," said Tim Cahill, president, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "Our collaboration with Venus Aerospace allows us to evaluate a promising propulsion technology and determine how it can be integrated into future precision fires solutions. Partnerships like this help accelerate innovation, reduce risk and rapidly advance from emerging technology to operational capability." * "Defense customers are asking for more than incremental gains from legacy propulsion," said Sassie Duggleby, co-founder and CEO of Venus Aerospace. "Our RDRE technology offers a different propulsion architecture for systems that need more range, more speed and a realistic path to production. This agreement with Lockheed Martin moves our breakthrough closer to real precision fires applications." About Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin is a global defense technology company driving innovation and advancing scientific discovery. Our all-domain mission solutions and 21st Century Security(R) vision accelerate the delivery of transformative technologies to ensure those we serve always stay ahead of ready. More information at Lockheedmartin.com. SOURCE Lockheed Martin Published by News Desk · WeeklyReviewer The WeeklyReviewer news desk monitors breaking developments around the clock - sourcing, verifying, and publishing real-time industry news across business, technology, politics, science, sports, and world affairs. Every story that comes through the Live Wire is reviewed for accuracy before publication, keeping our readers ahead of the curve without the noise.

LM and Venus Aerospace collaborate to advance next-gen propulsion for long-range precision fires. July 21, 2026 Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Venus Aerospace announced a joint technology development agreement to evaluate and mature Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) technology for future long-range precision fires applications, accelerating the transition of advanced propulsion from flight demonstration to operational capability. The collaboration combines Venus Aerospace's flight-tested propulsion technology with Lockheed Martin's expertise in developing, integrating and rapidly fielding advanced defense systems. Together, the companies will assess how this emerging propulsion architecture could support next-generation precision fires capabilities that require greater range, speed and operational flexibility. THE BIG PICTURE As threats evolve and mission demands multiply, the U.S. Department of War is seeking technologies that deliver meaningful performance improvements while remaining affordable, manufacturable and scalable. By combining emerging propulsion technologies with proven launch systems, precision guidance and production expertise, Lockheed Martin continues to expand the pipeline of future capabilities available to the U.S. and its allies. WHY IT MATTERS * Rotating detonation propulsion could enable future precision fires systems to achieve significantly greater range and speed while remaining compatible with the Army's need for affordable, scalable production. * Unlike conventional rocket engines that rely on subsonic combustion, RDREs generate thrust through continuously traveling detonation waves. This approach has the potential to improve propulsion efficiency while reducing complexity, enabling systems to travel farther and respond faster to emerging threats. * The agreement enables Lockheed Martin to evaluate RDRE technology within the context of operational military requirements to transition the advanced propulsion concept from a subsystem demonstration environment into practical missile applications. * Lockheed Martin's expertise in system integration and advanced manufacturing allows advanced technologies to move more quickly from laboratory development into deployable defense solutions that can be produced at scale. * By working with innovative U.S. technology companies, Lockheed Martin is strengthening the nation's defense industrial base and helping accelerate advanced manufacturing capabilities critical to future readiness. EXPERT PERSPECTIVE "Lockheed Martin is focused on rapidly delivering advanced capabilities that strengthen deterrence and provide decisive advantages for the warfighter," said Tim Cahill, president, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "Our collaboration with Venus Aerospace allows us to evaluate a promising propulsion technology and determine how it can be integrated into future precision fires solutions. Partnerships like this help accelerate innovation, reduce risk and rapidly advance from emerging technology to operational capability." "Defense customers are asking for more than incremental gains from legacy propulsion," said Sassie Duggleby, co-founder and CEO of Venus Aerospace. "Our RDRE technology offers a different propulsion architecture for systems that need more range, more speed and a realistic path to production. This agreement with Lockheed Martin moves our breakthrough closer to real precision fires applications."

Venus Aerospace closes $91M to scale detonation engine production. Venus Aerospace has secured $91 million in Series B funding led by Houston-based venture capital firm Mercury Fund, with additional backing from Lockheed Martin Ventures, MESH, PEAK6, Starboard Star Venture Capital, Green Sands Equity, and other investors. The raise follows the company's May 2025 milestone: the first successful flight test of a high-thrust rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE). The funding will push Venus from that demonstration phase toward full-scale production of propulsion systems for defense and space applications. The announcement also comes shortly after Pam Melroy, former NASA Deputy Administrator, joined the company's board. How the Engine Works Conventional rocket engines rely on subsonic combustion to burn fuel. Venus's RDRE instead uses a continuous supersonic detonation wave that rotates around the combustion chamber, a design the company describes as the most efficient rocket engine architecture ever flown, outperforming existing systems by roughly 15 percent. That efficiency gain could translate into longer range, more flexible payloads, and stronger performance across both defense and space missions. The engine itself is built using 3D printed components paired with standard materials, a manufacturing approach designed for domestic, large-scale production without dependence on constrained or foreign supply chains. It's also reusable and throttleable, and rather than building separate engines for separate missions, Venus is positioning the RDRE as a shared propulsion platform that can serve munitions, space launch, orbital transfer, and landers alike. Educational Resources Venus reached its first high-thrust RDRE flight test in just over four years, using $80 million in capital, a pace and capital efficiency the company positions as one of the fastest in the propulsion field. With this new $91 million round, total funding moves the company firmly into its scale-up phase. Strategic Context The raise lands at a moment when the U.S. and its allies are prioritizing hypersonic and long-range capability, seeking systems that outperform legacy platforms in speed and reach. Venus frames its work in Texas, built with American engineering talent, as a direct response to that demand for dependable, domestically sourced propulsion. "This financing marks an important step in moving Venus from breakthrough demonstration to scaled capability," said Sassie Duggleby, co-founder and CEO of Venus Aerospace. "Our customers need propulsion systems that go farther, can be produced reliably and are built on supply chains they can trust. We are advancing that capability with American engineering and manufacturing talent to strengthen U.S. defense, expand space access and support the future of high-speed flight." AM Is Becoming the Default for Detonation Engines Venus Aerospace's strategy hinges on a bet that's now widely shared across the propulsion industry: rotating detonation rocket engines can't be built any other way. The geometry these engines require, tight-tolerance injectors, integrated coolant channels, complex internal flow paths, is too intricate for conventional machining, which makes additive manufacturing a prerequisite. Other organizations have arrived at the same conclusion through different paths. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, for example, has leaned on additive manufacturing specifically because the improvement in efficiency is so dramatic that the combustion environment is nearly impossible to contain and keep hardware cool, requiring 3D printed laser powder bed fusion components and specialized alloys like GRCop-42 and GRX-810 to make the engine viable at all. More recently, Astrobotic completed a hot fire campaign for its Chakram rotating detonation rocket engine, with AM playing a central role in enabling the milestone. Two prototypes completed eight successful tests at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, accumulating more than 470 seconds of total run time, including a single 300-second continuous burn believed to be the longest ever recorded for an RDRE. Across these programs, the pattern is consistent: detonation combustion is too extreme for traditional fabrication, and 3D printing is what turns the concept into hardware. Venus's $91 million raise extends that logic from prototype to production scale. Educational Resources 3D Printing Industry is inviting speakers for its 2026 Additive Manufacturing Applications (AMA) series, covering Energy, Healthcare, Automotive and Mobility, Aerospace, Space and Defense, and Software. Each online event focuses on real production deployments, qualification, and supply chain integration. Practitioners interested in contributing can complete the call for speakers form here. Explore the full Future of 3D Printing and Executive Survey series from 3D Printing Industry, featuring perspectives from CEOs, engineers, and industry leaders on the industrialization of additive manufacturing, 3D printing industry trends 2026, qualification, supply chains, and additive manufacturing industry analysis. Featured image shows Venus Aerospace Team. Photo via Venus Aerospace.