Looks like defense production is coming back to the Buckeye State.
This morning, Anduril Technologies announced that it will build its long-anticipated Arsenal-1 hyperscale manufacturing facility in Columbus, OH. Anduril will invest $1B of its own capital in the plant, which at full capacity will span 5M+ square feet, employ 4,000 people, and produce tens of thousands of autonomous weapons systems annually. Ohio estimates that Arsenal-1 will add $1B to the state’s GDP.
Christian Brose, Anduril’s chief strategy officer, said in a press briefing that construction on the plant would begin “in a matter of weeks and months,” and they expect capabilities to start rolling off the line mid-next year. The factory will kick off with the Fury, Roadrunner, and Barracuda UAVs, and will eventually produce nearly everything Anduril has to offer.
The announcement comes as Anduril is in the midst of a massive growth spurt. Yesterday, the company revealed that it doubled its revenue last year to nearly $1B.
Factories of the future: In August, Anduril announced a $1.5B Series F co-led by Founders Fund and Sands Capital to fund the planned Arsenal-1 facility. Current US defense manufacturers, according to the company, can’t produce at the speed and scale needed to deter adversaries like China and Russia. In other words, we’re screwed.
“In a major conflict, use of weapons and munitions would quickly exceed supply—it is projected that the United States would run out of weapons in the first few weeks,” the company wrote in its August statement. Arsenal-1, they say, is the fix.
- The facility will use a commercial-style production process that’s modular and streamlined to speed up production and flexibility.
- Anduril will use commercial supply chains and components wherever possible to avoid bottlenecks.
- Arsenal-1 will be software-driven to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
- By centralizing production, Anduril can respond quickly to US and allied needs.
The Wright legacy: Ohio’s existing aerospace and automobile manufacturing industry make it the ideal place for Arsenal-1, according to Brose. The site is also next to Rickenbacker Airport, granting the company access to two 12,000-foot runways and a 75-acre private apron able to support military-scale aircraft. Plus, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Air Force Research Laboratory are right down the road.
Anduril will pursue a Job Creation Tax Credit from the Ohio Department of Development and will request $70M from the All Ohio Future Fund for the facility. Ohio also plans to invest $900M in the area surrounding Arsenal-1.
Brose said that there are no plans—yet—for Arsenal-2 and that all current Anduril production facilities would remain open.