For more than 70 years, the L3Harris Canoga Park site in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles has specialized in designing, developing and manufacturing liquid propulsion, powering critical defense and space capabilities. This summer, the company launched a more than $100 million self-funded site expansion that will add almost 35,000 square feet of manufacturing and assembly space to increase production capacity and support a variety of key defense and space programs.
“L3Harris is investing across our sites to increase our production capacity and ensure we grow at a rapid pace to meet evolving mission demands,” said Scott Alexander, President, Propulsion Systems, Missile Solutions, L3Harris. “Our most recent expansion in California reinforces our commitment to expanding liquid propulsion production for our Department of War and NASA customers.”
The initiative marks the site’s largest expansion in more than a decade, positioning the company to meet growing demand for increased production capacity. The expansion will support the recent framework agreement to quadruple Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) propulsion production and additional critical programs at the site including the RS-25 engines that power NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Attitude Control System (ACS) for the Missile Defense Agency’s Next Generation Interceptor (NGI).
The flight proven, high performance RS 25 engines recently powered the SLS rocket for its historic Artemis II mission. The Liquid Divert and Attitude Control System is a highly responsive thruster system that keeps THAAD’s kinetic kill vehicle on target during the later stages of an intercept.
“Our Canoga Park site is an industry leader in developing liquid propulsion systems, and this expansion enables our team to continue to modernize production of these capabilities for the future,” said Mark Farley, Vice President, Operations and Program Excellence, Missile Solutions, L3Harris. “We’re strengthening our ability to deliver high-precision liquid propulsion capabilities at the speed and scale our customers require, ensuring we meet the nation’s most urgent needs.”
Modernizing Operations
The site operates with a mixed-model approach where most of the equipment and process areas are multi-purpose to support numerous programs. The expansion will significantly increase production capacity – not only through additional square footage but also with modern equipment, advanced automation and increased capabilities. As part of this expansion, the site is adding nine new turn mills to the manufacturing floor. In addition, to assist with small component processing for multiple programs, the site will add two 5-axis mills and additional equipment to increase manufacturing capacity.
The expansion will also create opportunities to grow the site’s dedicated workforce, enhancing specialized skillsets and supporting continued high-performance operations.
“We are gaining extraordinary momentum in liquid propulsion production which wouldn’t be possible without the teamwork and dedication of the entire Canoga Park team,” said Greg Burns, Director of Operations, Canoga Park Site, L3Harris. “I am proud of our development and commitment to innovation as we continue to deliver critical technologies for space and defense operations.”
Expanding Propulsion Capacity Across the Country
This expansion is an example of how L3Harris is answering the Department of War’s call to speed production of critical munitions. The company is investing billions of dollars, constructing approximately 60 facilities and adding more than one million square feet of manufacturing space across the company’s propulsion production sites in Alabama, Arkansas, California and Virginia.
