Anduril to build ‘Arsenal-1’ autonomous weapons factory in central Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio — U.S. defense company Anduril Industries is preparing to build a massive advanced manufacturing facility in central Ohio, creating an anticipated 4,000 jobs in the region’s booming high-tech sector. state officials said Thursday.

The Cosa Mesa, Calif.-based defense technology company plans to begin construction of what it calls “Arsenal 1” as soon as state and local approvals are obtained. The 5 million square foot facility will be located on a 500-acre site near Rickenbacker International Airport in rural Pickaway County, about 16 miles southeast of Columbus.

Under the plan, production of military drones and autonomous aerial vehicles would begin in July 2026, said Christian Brose, Anduril’s chief strategy officer.

Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said it was the largest job and payroll creation project Ohio has announced. The governor said the award of the Anduril manufacturing plant marks a continuation of Ohio’s history of advanced aviation, which began with the Ohio-born Wright Brothers and continues to expand around Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in the Dayton area.

“We are an aerospace state,” DeWine said. He called Ohio the “brains of the Air Force.”

DeWine, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and JobsOhio CEO JP Nauseef said that through targeted economic development efforts, the state has a strong and diverse aerospace workforce. They said it also has a network of job training centers, colleges and universities ready to train new high-tech industry workers. These helped attract a competitive deal nationally, they said.

“Ohio has literally built a strategy around this type of project, and so we’re perfect for them,” Husted said.

Ohio’s aerospace sector includes GE Aerospace’s global headquarters and a new Joby Aviation manufacturing plant near Dayton that is preparing to make electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL, aircraft starting this year.

Anduril views the Ohio facility as an integral part of its goal to “rebuild the arsenal” of U.S. military weapons and platforms by “hyperscaling” manufacturing with advanced software and production technologies.

The latest development adds to what is now being called an Ohio-based “silicon corridor.” It includes Intel, which is building a $20 billion chip factory just east of Columbus, and Honda and LG Energy Solution of South Korea, which are building a $3.5 billion battery factory in the county neighboring Fayette, which the automaker envisions as its North American electric vehicle hub. . Ohio State University also announced plans in 2023 to build a $110 million Software Innovation Center to be part of these efforts.

At separate upcoming state meetings, the Anduril project will receive a job creation tax credit from the Ohio Department of Development and a $70 million infusion from the All Ohio Future Fund , which the DeWine administration and lawmakers created to help local governments prepare sites for economic development. projects. JobsOhio also plans to provide the project with a significant grant, the exact amount of which will be announced once agreements are signed, as well as talent acquisition services.