Firehawk Aerospace raises $60M to scale 3D-printed rocket propellants

Czech startup Firehawk Aerospace has closed an oversubscribed $60 million Series C funding round, securing a strategic European investor as it looks to scale its breakthrough 3D-printed energetics technology. The raise, led by 1789 Capital, whose partners include Donald Trump Jr., marks a key milestone in the startup’s transition from R&D to full-scale production.

Among the new investors is Presto Tech Horizons (PTH), a defense-focused fund jointly established by Czech venture capital firm Presto Ventures and industrial conglomerate Czechoslovak Group (CSG). PTH’s investment signals growing European interest in ensuring defense supply chain sovereignty, especially around munitions and energetics production.

Firehawk Aerospace has developed the world’s first scalable method for 3D printing solid rocket propellants. Traditional methods, which involve casting and curing propellant over weeks or months, are slow, hazardous, and inflexible. Firehawk’s additive manufacturing approach radically shortens this process, reducing production times by over 99 percent, the company claims.

“The conflict in Ukraine proves that while drones give warfighters a decisive edge, munitions like missiles and rockets are the core of combat power,” said Will Edwards, CEO of Firehawk.

Presto Tech Horizons’ investment is not just financial, it represents a strategic bridge between American innovation and European industrial capacity. With defense supply chains under pressure due to the war in Ukraine and broader geopolitical uncertainty, the deal highlights a growing push within Europe to onshore or nearshore critical defense production, particularly for energetics and munitions.

“The current geopolitical situation underscores the need to invest in innovative defense technologies,” said Michal Strnad, Chairman of the Board and owner of CSG. “Firehawk can play a crucial role in the future of not only rocket propulsion, but also ammunition production. This innovative project can strengthen cooperation between leaders of the American and European defense industries.”

According to Presto Tech Horizons, Firehawk’s technology enables not just rapid scaling of existing systems, but entirely new forms of decentralized production, something highly relevant to NATO countries seeking to improve defense resilience.

This Series C round marks Firehawk’s most significant capital raise to date. While exact figures from PTH’s contribution weren’t disclosed, the round, also backed by Draper Associates, Decisive Point, Stellar Ventures, and other VCs, will support Firehawk’s expansion from prototyping to large-scale manufacturing.

The company, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is building a 340-acre production facility in Lawton, Oklahoma and has testing operations in West Texas, including access to a 30-square-mile private launch range.

Firehawk’s pitch to the market is bold: faster production, safer handling, and supply chain flexibility that can meet modern military needs at scale, including in allied countries looking to strengthen their domestic defense industrial base.

The deal positions Firehawk’s technology to begin scaling in Europe, particularly as EU and NATO member states increase joint investments in defense and resilience technologies.