SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 3, 2014 -- Aerojet Rocketdyne, a GenCorp (NYSE:GY) company, announced today that its Software Engineering practices have been appraised at a Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Level 3. This achievement is the result of a year-long effort of assessment preparation, and more than 20 years of sustained software process development and improvement.

"This significant achievement reaffirms Aerojet Rocketdyne's long-standing commitment of providing high-quality products and services to our partners and customers," said Marvin Young, vice president of Engineering at Aerojet Rocketdyne. "In today's competitive market, the CMMI Level 3 appraisal clearly demonstrates the maturity and capabilities of our software."

The assessment, which was conducted by an outside agency, focused on a representative sample of projects supported by the entire Software Engineering organization, and included personnel from Huntsville, Alabama and Los Angeles and Sacramento, California.

The CMMI is an industry standard that can be applied to any development activity, but is commonly applied to software. It contains detailed best practices and is widely used as an industry benchmark. In addition to commercial application, government organizations often use the CMMI rating as a measure of risk during the selection process and frequently require Levels 2 or 3 as part of the contract.

Because CMMI assesses continuous improvement, Aerojet Rocketdyne's Software Engineering organization has committed to continued improvement of the combined organization through Levels 4 and 5, the highest possible in the model.

"This is an important achievement for the company. Not only is Level 3 a NASA requirement for our work on the Space Launch System, but the rating also gives us a pedigree that helps us capture new business," said Brian Malone, director of Software Engineering at Aerojet Rocketdyne. "Customers and partners are well aware of the rigor required to achieve Level 3 - it's a competitive advantage."

Aerojet Rocketdyne is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader providing propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. GenCorp is a diversified company that provides innovative solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense, and real estate markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne and GenCorp can be obtained by visiting the companies' websites at www.Rocket.com and www.GenCorp.com.