Firehawk to build 3D‑printed rocket‑fuel plant in Lawton as governor touts tax cuts and major industrial investments

Gov. Kevin Stitt announced that Firehawk Aerospace plans to build a 320‑acre facility near Lawton that the company says will produce 3D‑printed rocket propellant, invest $22 million and create about 100 jobs.

The announcement came at a Wednesday press event where Stitt also highlighted recent state economic activity, saying, “I signed the tax cut bill. So cut over my, over my 7 years, we've cut, a billion dollars in taxes for hardworking Oklahomans.” He cited other recent projects, including a $300 million ammunition investment by CBC and a separate $4 billion industrial investment he identified as EGA.

Will Edwards, co‑founder of Firehawk Aerospace, described the company’s planned facility as “the first scaled 3 d printed propellant factory to Oklahoma. It'll be the first 1 in The United States.” Edwards said the process will be faster and cheaper than conventional methods: “We've created a way to produce a million pounds of propellant unbelievably cost efficiently, incredibly fast. We've cut the process down to make rocket propellant from several weeks to just several hours.”

Stitt placed the Firehawk announcement in the context of a broader state economic strategy that emphasizes tax cuts, a large state savings account and efforts to attract defense‑adjacent manufacturers. He said Oklahoma is “quickly be becoming a a, national defense hub,” citing proximity to Fort Sill and other military assets.

Reporters asked about state incentives for the project. Stitt said, “I think there was a $4,000,000, tax incentives from Oklahoma,” and Firehawk representatives described the primary mechanism differently. A Firehawk speaker and a state official present characterized the arrangement as using a withholding‑tax mechanism often applied to large projects; one speaker summarized the expected package as “18 million worth of withholding taxes.” The governor’s office described the effort as involving the Department of Commerce and existing state programs rather than a direct legislative appropriation.

Stitt and company officials credited local and regional partners for recruiting the project; Edwards thanked “governor Stitt, chairman Cole, senator Mullen, chairman Caldwell, the FISA team, the LEDA, the LEDC for making this possible,” and said the project built on local efforts to link military innovation to private industry.

The announcement does not identify final regulatory approvals or permit timelines. Firehawk said the facility will be scaled for commercial production and touted national‑defense applications for the propellant technology. Stitt framed the deal alongside other large investments he cited as evidence of the state's business‑friendly climate.

Local leaders present at the announcement included Mayor Stan Booker and a Lawton economic development official, Brad Cooksey, who were introduced by Stitt at the event.