GenCorp has formally acquired Rocketdyne from United Technologies Corporation, renaming the company Aerojet Rocketdyne.
The purchase unites two of the largest launch vehicle engine manufacturers in the USA. Rocketdyne builds engines for United Launch Alliance's Delta IV and Atlas V rockets, currently the only large rockets certificated to carry important US government payloads. Sacramento-headquartered GenCorp owns Aerojet, which builds smaller liquid-fuelled engines.
The sale was initially announced in July 2012 but has been held up for almost a year by the need for US Federal Trade Commission approval.
While the ultimate future of the company is unclear, GenCorp executives have previously stated that Rocketdyne will remain a separate division from Aerojet.
"The addition of Rocketdyne almost doubles the size of our company and provides additional growth opportunities as we build upon the complementary capabilities of each legacy company," says GenCorp president Scott Seymour.
The purchase includes Rocketdyne's half of RD Amross, a joint venture with Russian company Khrunichev, which manufactures the RD-180 engine that powers the Atlas V.
Source: Flight International