American Pacific Corporation (AMPAC), a leading supplier of critical materials for solid rocket propulsion, recently announced that its parent company, NewMarket Corporation, has approved a capital investment of up to $100 million to expand AMPAC’s ammonium perchlorate production capabilities.
The investment will support the construction of a new production line at AMPAC’s Cedar City, Utah facility, increasing capacity by more than 50%. The expansion is a direct response to the rapidly growing demand from U.S. and allied defense programs, as well as civil space launch systems. Project completion is anticipated in 2026.
Thomas E. Gottwald, Chairman and CEO of NewMarket Corporation, stated: “We are proud to continue investing in AMPAC, a strategic national asset with a mission-critical role in global safety, security, and space programs. This expansion enables us to meet growing customer demand while enhancing supply chain security and product redundancy. It also reflects our long-term commitment to AMPAC’s success and its stakeholders.”
Kris Griffith, President of AMPAC, added: “As our customers scale up solid rocket motor production to meet national security and space exploration goals, AMPAC is proud to invest alongside them. This expansion underscores our unwavering commitment to the surety of supply, technical excellence, and domestic resiliency in support of these essential missions.”
AMPAC is the leading North American manufacturer of ammonium perchlorate, a critical oxidizer and the primary ingredient used in solid rocket propellants for both defense and space systems. This expansion strengthens domestic production capacity at a time when the aerospace and defense industrial base is under pressure to scale rapidly and reduce foreign dependencies.