American defense startups are adapting technologies from the automotive, oil‑and‑gas, and pharmaceutical sectors to make missile manufacturing faster and cheaper, supporting the Pentagon’s push to expand weapons output. Reuters reports companies such as Castlion, Anduril, X‑Bo Systems and Firehawk Aerospace are employing automotive chips, hydraulic‑fracturing steel tubing, pharmaceutical mixing processes and 3D‑printing to address shortages of solid‑fuel rocket motors. Since 2022 the United States has consumed more than 50,000 rockets, missiles and rocket‑borne munitions, and Washington has earmarked $53 billion to boost missile and rocket production capacity. The initiative aims to cut production time, lower costs and enhance the U.S. defense industry’s ability to meet operational and export demands in the coming years.