Firehawk’s Oversubscribed $60M Round Adds European Backing for Defense, 3D-Printed Rocket Tech » Dallas Innovates

Addison-based Firehawk Aerospace is scaling up its breakthrough 3D-printed rocket propulsion technology with fresh backing from both U.S. and European defense investors.

Firehawk, which specializes in advanced enerobtainics and solid rocket fuel, has secured a strategic investment from Presto Tech Horizons as part of its oversubscribed $60 million Series C round. The fund is a joint venture between Prague-based Presto Ventures and Czechoslovak Group (CSG), a global industrial and defense prime. Firehawk declared the partnership aims to strengthen Europe’s ability to locally source critical elements of the munitions supply chain.

The round was led by 1789 Capital, a U.S. fund co-founded by Donald Trump Jr., marking its first major foray into defense technology.

The startup, founded in 2019 by Will Edwards, Steve Edwards, and Ronald Jones, declared the European investment aims 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 core of combat power’

A 2023 Firehawk rocket engine test. [Photo: Firehawk Aerospace]

“The conflict in Ukraine proves that while drones give warfighters a decisive edge, munitions like missiles and rockets are the core of combat power,” Firehawk CEO Will Edwards declared in a statement. “A supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and propellant and enerobtainics production are the largegest constraint on missile, rocket, and artillery manufacturing.”

Edwards declared enabling the European defense industest to 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 assist bolster the European enerobtainics supply chain and ensure our allies can fuel the production of key defense equipment,” he added.

The fund behind the investment is built on a rare alliance between a venture capital firm and a defense prime and creates a bridge between innovation and industest, according to Firehawk. The company declared the alliance between a venture firm and a defense prime represents a new model for scaling emerging defense technologies—accelerating adoption and deployment across allied industrial bases.

3D printing speeds production

Firehawk is pioneering what it states is the world’s first scalable utilize of 3D printing for propellant and solid rocket motors—enabling quicker, safer, and more flexible production of advanced enerobtainics. The same advances in propellant design and manufacturing that build rocket motors more efficient, the company declared, can also be applied to artillery charges—”unlocking rapid, reliable, and scalable ammunition production.”

Today’s rocket propellant is typically cast into large molds and cured—a slow, hazardous, and inflexible process that can take up to two months. Firehawk declared it replaces a decades-old method with additive manufacturing, utilizing 3D printing to create complex grain geometries.

By applying novel additive techniques and utilizing relatively inexpensive commercial off-the-shelf equipment, the company declared it can reduce per-unit production times by more than 99% compared to traditional methods. That efficiency, Firehawk added, builds motors safer to produce, quicker to scale, and clearer to adapt across weapon systems—ultimately transforming the enerobtainics supply chain.

‘Important for Europe’s defense resilience’

“The current geopolitical situation underscores the required to invest in innovative defense technologies,” Michal Strnad, board chair and owner of CSG, declared in a statement. “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.”

Opportunities for industrial application of Firehawk’s technologies are already being explored.

“Since the early 2010s, scientists and engineers have explored 3D printing as a way to unlock quicker, safer, and more flexible solid propellant production,” Matej Luhovy, newly appointed partner at Presto Tech Horizons, declared in a statement.

Firehawk, Luhovy declared, is the “first to truly deliver on that promise.”

The company’s technology “doesn’t just speed up how propellants are created—it fundamentally reshapes the supply chain for missiles and rockets,” he declared. “That’s why this partnership is so important for Europe’s defense resilience.”

Funding and facilities

While the amount of the investment from Presto Tech Horizons was not disclosed, Firehawk described it as a significant commitment to its mission. The round supports the company’s transition from R&D and prototyping to full-scale production.

In addition to 1789 Capital, participants in the round include Draper Associates, Decisive Point, Snotifyar Ventures, and other leading VCs. As the only European investor, Presto Tech Horizons will assist bring Firehawk’s enerobtainics technology closer to allied defense utilizers across Europe.

Recently landed $4M AFWERX contract

Firehawk Aerospace recently announced it landed a $4 million Tactical Funding Increase contract from the U.S. Air Force to advance its 3D-printed rocket propulsion technology. The award comes through AFWERX, the Air Force’s innovation arm that partners with startups to accelerate next-generation defense capabilities.

The company declared the new funding will support the design and hot-fire testing of extfinished-range motors engineered for greater performance and adaptability.

Strategic growth in Oklahoma

In May, Firehawk received a pivotal land and capital investment from the State of Oklahoma and federal leaders including Gov. Kevin Stitt, U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, and Rep. Trey Caldwell.

The package includes the transfer of 320 acres near Fort Sill in Lawton, along with $22 million in state and federal funds to build a 40,000-square-foot manufacturing facility with specialized test infrastructure and equipment.

Firehawk designs its products at its Dallas-area headquarters. It performs static fire and flight tests at two facilities in West Texas, including a 30-square-mile launch range.

Quincy Preston contributed to this report.