Jane Edwards
Aerojet Rocketdyne and the U.S. Air Force have begun to renegotiate an agreement over the development of the company“™s rocket engine, SpaceNews reported Friday.
The company develops the AR1 engine under a potential $115.3 million “other transaction“ agreement the service branch awarded in 2016.
The service“™s space and missile systems center said Aerojet Rocketdyne has requested to reduce its cost share on the AR1 engine development work from one-third to one-sixth.
“The Air Force and Aerojet Rocketdyne are still in discussions, but are working very hard to find closure on a restructured agreement,“ SMC told the publication in response to questions Wednesday.
Steve Warren, vice president and chief communications officer at Aerojet Rocketdyne, said in a Thursday statement the company had previously made an investment worth more than $200 million in the engine“™s key technology components and spent at least $110 million on AR1 prior to the rocket propulsion system contract award in 2016.
“We are committed to delivering an engine in 2019,“ Warren added
