Dayton T. Brown opens rocket test & qualification center in North Huntsville

Location. Location. Location.

That’s the famous phrase about real estate.

And, according to defense contractor Dayton T. Brown, that’s the reason it opened its Solid Rocket Motor Qualification & Production Test Center in the Rocket City.

DTB’s facility on Pulaski Pike is a couple minutes down Pulaski Pike from L3Harris’ Advanced Manufacturing Facility – North, which builds solid rocket motors for critical U.S. defense programs. L3Harris is the company’s anchor customer in Huntsville.   

“We didn’t come here simply to put a DTB sign on another building,” said company President Jim Kelly. “We came because Huntsville is at the center of some of our nation’s most important aerospace and defense work.

“Our customers are here, their engineers are here and their programs are here. We believe DTB should be here with them.”

Kevin McCombs, vice president and general manager of Strategic Systems for L3Harris, echoed the advantage of DTB’s proximity to L3Harris.

Previously, L3Harris’ products for testing needed to be shipped to DTB’s site in New York. Now, it’s a matter of crossing the street.

“In the near future that product will be delivered here, just a few minutes up the road,” McCombs said. “It will save time and help prevent damage to the product and we can get test results in almost real time.”

This milestone solidifies DTB’s commitment to serving the aerospace and defense industries in Huntsville and across the greater Southeast.

“For more than 75 years, our customers have trusted us for the toughest tests,” Kelly said. “We’re proud to be here and committed to be here for the long term.”  

DTB officials said the facility marks a landmark investment in the area and has signed a 10-year lease for the state-of-the-art, 104,000-square-foot testing facility.

“We are so excited to have you become a part of Huntsville,” said Mayor Tommy Battle. “Your motto is ‘We’re There!’ Well, we’re here and now you’re here.

“DTB’s specialized testing work will bring new jobs to the area and complement the region’s existing defense and technology capabilities. The city of Huntsville values partnerships that contribute to steady, long-term economic growth. DTB provides quality year after year; that’s the company you want in your community.”

  

Kelly said the investment reflects the region’s strategic importance and the growing need for testing capacity to keep pace with production demands. 

As the Department of Defense calls on the defense industry to deliver greater quantities of equipment on accelerated schedules, testing and qualification have become increasingly important to maintain production momentum and ensure reliability.

“Timing matters,” he said. “If testing can’t keep up pace with production, it creates bottlenecks. The stakes are high and this must be right.”

The facility will bring industry-leading testing capabilities closer to DTB’s local customers and programs shaping the future of national defense and space exploration. 

“This new facility defines the important role that North Alabama plays,” said U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Huntsville).

The test center features specialized testing capabilities, including proof, burst, X-ray, and structural testing.

The expansion aligns with DTB’s recent selection to the Missile Defense Agency’s Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) contract. 

Through SHIELD, the agency is accelerating the development and deployment of advanced technologies supporting the nation’s layered missile defense architecture, including efforts to counter hypersonic and cruise missile threats.

Initially, the focus will be on large-scale rocket motor testing in support of Golden Dome requirements for L3Harris. However, as customer needs evolve, DTB plans to expand the facility’s capabilities to include environmental and electromagnetic interference testing.

“We’re here to increase capacity,” Matt May, vice president and division manager of the Test and Engineering Division, said of the three-phase development plans. “Building on the lessons of our past, we built (the facility) modular to support growth.

“There will be a second facility behind this one. The phases are not just for today’s requirements, but for tomorrow’s challenges.”