Top 100, a ranking of the largest defense companies in the world.

 Top 100, a ranking of the largest defense companies in the world.

Ursa Major’s expertise remains in rocket propulsion, but it is now developing a portfolio of engines that can be used for Defense Department and commercial missions, as well as support a range of air-launched, space and hypersonic applications. In May, the Air Force lab awarded the company a contract to continue developing and testing two of its engines — Arroway for space and Draper for hypersonic launches.

While Ursa Major’s pathway into the DoD hypersonics market isn’t typical, it’s one of many commercial and nontraditional companies looking to make inroads in a field dominated by defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and RTX (formerly known as Raytheon Technologies).

What they may lack in experience with major defense programs, these startups make up for with specialized expertise, private capital, and novel approaches to developing and producing hardware and software. Some, like Ursa Major, offer flexible, dual-use subsystems and components that could be integrated into the Defense Department’s hypersonic efforts, which are largely focused on developing and testing high-speed weapons and defending against similar systems that adversaries, including China and Russia, are building.