“We have started our initial test unit, so we have our first prototypes. We would aim for production start in the first half of next year. That, again, is a great thing to do in Factory 2,” Lukas Czinger, chief executive of Divergent Technologies, told Breaking Defense.
Divergent’s Factory 2 in Long Beach: scale and intent
Divergent said it is standing up a new 430,000-square-foot production facility in Long Beach, Calif., dubbed “Factory 2.” The company announced the site will be capable of producing either upward of 30,000 missile airframes per year or 60,000 warhead casings per year, depending on Pentagon requirements. The added capacity represents an eightfold increase in annual production for Divergent’s combined defense and commercial customers, the company said in a news release announcing the factory.
Although Divergent notes the facility is not purpose-built for munitions — it will also be capable of printing automotive components and other parts for commercial manufacturing — the company’s CEO told Breaking Defense that roughly 80 percent of the new factory was driven by growth in defense contract volume.
The Tomahawk midbody agreement with Raytheon
Divergent will serve as a second source to produce the Tomahawk cruise missile’s midbody structure under a recent contract with RTX’s Raytheon, Czinger said on the sidelines of the Reindustrialize Summit. He described the Raytheon relationship as a “key part” of Divergent’s planned ramp up.
The Tomahawk midbody contract is intended to support Raytheon as it boosts production of the cruise missile under a multiyear framework deal with the Pentagon that was announced earlier this year. Czinger said a finalized contract between Raytheon and the department is not expected until Congress passes a fiscal 2027 budget, but that Raytheon has already put Divergent under contract in advance of the final deal to ensure a diverse and steady supply chain when orders come in.
“We need all hands on deck, we need as many of these as we can possibly get, and Divergent is good complimentary supply for [Raytheon],” Czinger said, adding that Raytheon “are not getting all the volume they need out their existing solutions,” in his words.
Monolith One printers: throughput, cost, and configuration
Factory 2 will house Divergent’s new series of 3D printers, called Monolith One. The company plans to fit 64 of the machines into the Long Beach facility. Divergent says the in-house machines double production throughput compared to other 3D printers and lower the cost per unit.
On the equipment’s technical features, Czinger said the Monolith One has “the highest laser power of any machine on the market, it’s got the most advanced gas flow and powder delivery system of anyone on the market.” He added the result is a machine that is “very cost effective” with high reliability.
Other defense programs and customer footprint
Divergent is already under contract to build structures for several companies, the source said, specifically naming CoAspire for work on the Air Force’s Family of Affordable Mass Missile program and the Low Cost Containerized Munitions Program. As a supplier, the company said it does not have permission to publicly name all of its customers.
The company positions itself among a group of emerging technology firms that use advances in 3D printing, robotics and software to manufacture components for defense prime contractors and commercial markets — “making the structure or parts of missiles and airframes instead of designing weapons and drones,” the announcement noted.
What this means for Raytheon, the Air Force, and automotive manufacturers
- Raytheon: By pre-contracting Divergent ahead of a finalized Pentagon award, Raytheon is securing a second source intended to increase supply-chain resilience and expand the production volume available for the Tomahawk midbody structure once the multiyear framework transitions into a finalized contract.
- The Air Force: Programs named in the contracts include the Family of Affordable Mass Missile and the Low Cost Containerized Munitions Program; those programs will draw on Divergent-produced structures as part of procurement plans, according to the company’s disclosed agreements.
- Automotive manufacturers and commercial OEMs: Divergent emphasizes that Factory 2 remains capable of commercial work — automotive components and other parts — and the company said the same factory could hypothetically shift toward majority auto production in three years if commercial demand dictates.
Next steps are concrete and timebound in the company’s public remarks: Divergent has produced initial prototypes and expects to begin production in the first half of next year, while a final Pentagon-Raytheon contract tied to the broader Tomahawk production rate depends on Congress passing the fiscal 2027 budget. How quickly Divergent moves from prototypes to sustained output, and how production volume is allocated between airframes and warhead casings, will shape the factory’s immediate contribution to both defense programs and commercial customers.
