WASHINGTON — Aerojet Rocketdyne's AR1 rocket engine achieved a milestone by passing a design review this week, the company announced Thursday.

The company remains on schedule to conduct full-scale engine testing in 2017 and to deliver a flight-qualified engine for certification in 2019, the company said in a prepared release.

In 2014, Congress banned future use of Russian-made RD-180 engines for national security launches with the goal of using American-made engines by 2019.

United Launch Alliance, which uses RD-180s to power its Atlas V rocket, recently withdrew from the US Air Force's GPS III Launch Services competition, saying it did not have the inventory to meet the requirements under the ban. In the 2016 omnibus spending bill unveiled earlier this week, the ban was lifted, presumably for 2016, the time frame covered under the bill. This paves the way for ULA to compete against SpaceX for the GPS program.

In the meantime, Aerojet Rocketdyne is forging ahead with its AR1, which it hopes will supplant the AR-180 on ULA's Atlas V rockets. ULA, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, has expressed a preference for Blue Origin's BE-4 engine, but the AR1 is still under consideration.

"We have achieved every milestone in our AR1 schedule to be ready for 2019 – we have in place the production facilities, tools, equipment, supply base and, most importantly, highly skilled employees to manufacture the AR1 engine to meet the national security needs of our nation," said Aerojet Rocketdyne president and CEO Eileen Drake in a prepared statement.

"ULA and Aerojet Rocketdyne have enjoyed a long relationship that spans decades," added Tory Bruno, ULA's president and CEO. "Aerojet Rocketdyne continues to be a valued supplier and is making excellent progress on the AR1 engine development."

Email: aclevenger@defensenews.com

Twitter: @andclev

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