GRAHAM, Kentucky — Tampa, Florida-based defense contractor Nitradyn LLC has been awarded a $581 million Department of War contract to design, construct and commission a new domestic production facility for Insensitive Munition Explosive-104 (IMX-104) in Graham, Kentucky.
The facility is expected to produce approximately 8 million pounds of IMX-104 annually once fully operational. Commissioning is planned before the end of 2030, with the contract listing an estimated completion date of August 9, 2030. The firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract is managed by Army Contracting Command at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois.
The new plant will be built at the same Graham site where the U.S. Army is constructing a TNT production facility. Together, the two projects will form an explosives manufacturing campus capable of producing multiple energetic formulations.
IMX-104 is a melt-castable explosive made from RDX, NTO and DNAN. It is used as an explosive fill in 155 mm artillery shells and mortar rounds. The formulation was developed as an insensitive munition designed to provide greater resistance to accidental detonation from hazards such as fire, fragments and impact compared with traditional TNT fills.
Nitradyn plans to manufacture all three IMX-104 components—RDX, NTO and DNAN—at the Graham site. The facility will also produce HMX and will include additional capacity for other energetic materials in the future.
The project comes as the U.S. Army works to expand domestic ammunition production and address constraints in the supply of explosive fillers needed for increased 155 mm artillery shell production. The United States has also relied on allied countries, including Australia, India and Poland, to help offset domestic shortages of energetic materials.
Nitradyn President Braden Lusk said the contract represents an investment in U.S. capacity to produce critical munitions. He said combining the IMX-104 facility with the TNT project will create an advanced explosives manufacturing campus capable of producing a diverse range of formulations.
Lusk also said the facility will strengthen the domestic industrial base, create American jobs and increase U.S. capacity to meet future defense requirements.
Founded in 2025, Nitradyn LLC is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, and was established as a joint venture between Dyno Nobel Limited and Paligen Chemical LLC, part of the Paligen Technologies group. The company manufactures and supplies explosives, propellants and energetic materials for defense and commercial customers.
The Graham IMX-104 project will add another major domestic explosives production capability alongside the planned TNT facility, expanding U.S. capacity for several key military energetic materials at one location.
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