Dallas-based Firehawk Aerospace, a defense tech company pioneering 3D-printed propellants and rocket motors, has secured an oversubscribed $60M Series C led by 1789 Capital (with partners including Donald Trump Jr.), alongside participation from Draper Associates, Decisive Point, Stellar Ventures, and others.
The round also brought in a strategic European investor: Presto Tech Horizons, a new defense & resilience tech fund launched by Presto Ventures and industrial group CSG (Czechoslovak Group).
Reinventing energetics with additive manufacturing
Traditional solid rocket propellants are cast in large molds — a slow, dangerous process that can take up to two months. Firehawk Aerospace replaces this with additive manufacturing, using off-the-shelf 3D printing equipment to produce propellant grains with previously impossible geometries.
This approach cuts per-unit production time by 99%, improves safety, and enables flexible, distributed manufacturing across multiple weapon systems. The same technology is also being applied to artillery charges, helping address global shortages in ammunition.
CEO Will Edwards said:
“A supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link — and today, propellant is that link. With Firehawk’s technology, Europe and the U.S. can rapidly scale missile, rocket, and artillery production. That resilience is mission-critical for NATO and our allies.”
Advertisement
Why Europe matters
Presto Tech Horizons’ participation underscores Europe’s push for local energetics production. By bridging venture capital with a defense prime (CSG), the fund accelerates deployment of technologies like Firehawk’s across NATO industrial bases.
Michal Strnad, Chairman of CSG, commented:
“Firehawk Aerospace’s innovation has the potential to redefine rocket propulsion and ammunition production. Strengthening U.S.-European cooperation on critical defense technologies is essential in today’s geopolitical climate.”
Matej Luhovy, Partner at Presto Tech Horizons, added:
“For a decade, researchers have speculated about 3D printing propellant. Firehawk is the first to deliver — combining speed, safety, and scalability. Their tech fundamentally reshapes the supply chain for missiles and rockets.”
Scaling up
With this funding, Firehawk Aerospace will transition from R&D and prototyping to full-scale production at its new 340-acre facility in Lawton, Oklahoma, while continuing tests at its Texas ranges.
The company now positions itself as an end-to-end energetics provider, serving both U.S. and European defense industries.
