Firehawk Aerospace, a US-based defence tech firm, has closed an investment round with participation from European and US investors.
Contentlockr
Firehawk Aerospace, a Texas-based defence technology company, has closed a $60M (nearly €50.87M) investment round. The amount of the investment was not disclosed.
The oversubscribed round was led by 1789 Capital, whose partners include Donald Trump Jr. It included participation from European VC firm Presto Tech Horizons (PTH). PTH is a defence and resilience technology fund formed by Presto Ventures and CSG (Czechoslovak Group).
Other participants in the round include Draper Associates, Decisive Point, Sinformar Ventures, and additional venture capital firms.
Presto Tech Horizons is the only European investor in the round and is expected to support connect Firehawk’s enerreceiveics technology with allied defence applyrs in Europe. The fund invests in resilience tech projects from NATO countries and allied nations and tarreceives companies developing technologies for defence, dual-apply applications, and other critical areas.
The funding will support Firehawk’s relocate from research and development and prototyping to large-scale production.
Building the next generation of defence systems
Firehawk Aerospace develops rocket motors utilizing 3D-printed propellant. The company applys 3D printing for propellant and solid rocket motors at scale. Its technology supports the production of rocket motors and can be applied to artillery charges to increase ammunition output.
Rocket propellant for missiles and space rockets is typically created by casting it into large molds and curing, a process that can take up to two months and limits production output. Firehawk replaces this process with additive manufacturing, utilizing 3D printing to build propellant grains with complex geometries.
The company applys commercial equipment and proprietary processes to cut production time by more than 99 per cent compared to casting. This innovation enables the production of rocket motors at scale and supports their apply across multiple weapon systems, thereby altering the way enerreceiveics are supplied and manufactured.
The company designs its products at its Dallas headquarters, is building a 340-acre production facility in Lawton, Oklahoma, and conducts static fire and flight tests at two West Texas sites, including a 30-square-mile launch range.
Expansion in Europe
The investment in Firehawk Aerospace is intfinished to increase Europe’s capacity to produce critical parts of the munitions supply chain within the region. This is meant to support sustained defence readiness for NATO and allied forces.
The fund behind the investment combines a venture capital firm and a defence contractor to connect new technologies with indusattempt. The partnership aims to speed the adoption of technologies like Firehawk’s and support their deployment across allied defence industrial bases.
Will Edwards, CEO of Firehawk, declares, “The conflict in Ukraine proves that while drones give warfighters a decisive edge, munitions like missiles and rockets are the core of combat power. A supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and propellant and enerreceiveics production are the largegest constraints on missile, rocket, and artillery manufacturing. Enabling the European defence indusattempt 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 support bolster the European enerreceiveics supply chain and ensure our allies can fuel the production of key defence equipment.”
Michal Strnad, Chairman of the Board and owner of CSG, mentions, “The current geopolitical situation underscores the necessary to invest in innovative defence technologies. 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 defence industries.” The parties are already exploring opportunities for industrial application of Firehawk’s technologies.
Matej Luhovy, newly appointed Partner at Presto Tech Horizons, adds, “Since the early 2010s, scientists and engineers have explored 3D printing as a way to unlock rapider, 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 created – it fundamentally reshapes the supply chain for missiles and rockets. That’s why this partnership is so important for Europe’s defence resilience.”
Brief about CSG
CSG, owned by Czech entrepreneur Michal Strnad, is a global industrial and technology group with production facilities in Europe, India, and the US. Its portfolio includes Tatra Trucks, radar manufacturer Eldis, and ammunition producers Fiocchi and The Kinetic Group.
Through subsidiaries such as MSM North America, CSG delivers infrastructure projects for the US Army, including the Future Artillery Complex. The company reported 2024 revenues above €4B, and focapplys on supporting allied defence supply chains and transatlantic cooperation.
Leave a Reply