Firehawk is pioneering the world’s first scalable use of 3D printing for propellant and solid rocket motors, enabling faster, safer, and more flexible production of advanced energetics. The same breakthroughs in propellant design and manufacturing that make rocket motors more efficient can also be applied to artillery charges – unlocking rapid, reliable, and scalable ammunition production.
Rocket engine propellant – used for missiles and space rockets alike – is currently produced by casting it into large molds and curing. This slow, hazardous, and inflexible process can take up to two months and limits both performance and production speed.
Firehawk replaces this decades-old method with additive manufacturing, using 3D printing to build propellant grains with complex geometries previously thought impossible. By using relatively inexpensive commercial-off-the-shelf equipment and novel additive manufacturing processes, the company can reduce per-unit production times by over 99% compared to traditional methods. This innovation makes motors safer to produce, quicker to scale, and adaptable across weapon systems, fundamentally transforming the energetics supply chain.
The purpose of the investment in Firehawk is to strengthen Europe’s ability to locally source critical elements of the munitions supply chain – boosting resilience and ensuring sustained defense readiness for NATO and allied forces. The fund behind the investment, built on a rare alliance between a venture capital firm and a defense prime, creates a bridge between innovation and industry. This partnership accelerates the adoption of technologies like Firehawk’s and serves as a new model to deliver novel defense technologies at scale for rapid deployment across allied defense industrial bases.
“The conflict in Ukraine proves that while drones give warfighters a decisive edge, munitions like missiles and rockets are the core of combat power,” says Will Edwards, CEO of Firehawk. ”A supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and propellant and energetics production are the biggest constraint on missile, rocket, and artillery manufacturing. Enabling the European defense industry to also produce these weapons quickly and at scale is the core of Firehawk’s mission. We’re proud to partner with Presto Tech Horizons and CSG to help bolster the European energetics supply chain and ensure our allies can fuel the production of key defense equipment.”
“The current geopolitical situation underscores the need to invest in innovative defense technologies,” says Michal Strnad, Chairman of the Board and owner of CSG. “Firehawk can play a crucial role in the future of not only rocket propulsion, but also ammunition production. This innovative project can strengthen cooperation between leaders of the American and European defense industries.” The parties are already exploring opportunities for industrial application of Firehawk’s technologies.
“Since the early 2010s, scientists and engineers have explored 3D printing as a way to unlock faster, safer, and more flexible solid propellant production. Firehawk is the first to truly deliver on that promise. They combine rapid manufacturing with complex grain designs that were once impossible, improving performance while enabling distributed production at scale. Firehawk’s technology doesn’t just speed up how propellants are made – it fundamentally reshapes the supply chain for missiles and rockets. That’s why this partnership is so important for Europe’s defense resilience,” adds Matej Luhovy, newly appointed Partner at Presto Tech Horizons.
Presto Tech Horizons has joined Firehawk’s oversubscribed $60M Series C funding, which concluded this September, as a strategic partner. While the exact amount is undisclosed, the investment represents a significant commitment to Firehawk’s mission. The round was led by 1789 Capital – helmed by partners including Donald Trump Jr. – marking the firm’s entry into defense technology and supporting Firehawk’s transition from R&D and prototyping to production at scale. Other participants include Draper Associates, Decisive Point, Stellar Ventures, and other leading VCs. As the only European investor in the round, Presto Tech Horizons helps bring Firehawk’s breakthrough energetics technology closer to allied defense users across Europe.
