US defense contractor to build 4,000-worker advanced manufacturing
facility in central Ohio
Send a link to a friend
 [January 17, 2025] By
JULIE CARR SMYTH
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — U.S. defense contractor Anduril Industries is
preparing to build a massive advanced manufacturing facility in central
Ohio, adding a planned 4,000 jobs to the area's burgeoning high-tech
sector, state officials announced Thursday.
The Cosa Mesa, California-based defense technology company plans to
begin construction of what it's calling “Arsenal 1” as soon as state and
local approvals are secured. The 5 million-square-foot
(464,515-square-meter) facility will be located on a 500-acre
(202-hectare) site near Rickenbacker International Airport in rural
Pickaway County, about 16 miles (26 kilometers) southeast of Columbus.
Production of military drones and autonomous air vehicles would begin in
July 2026 under the plan, said Christian Brose, Anduril's chief strategy
officer.
Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said it is the largest single job
creation and payroll project that Ohio has announced. The governor said
winning Anduril's manufacturing plant marks a continuation of Ohio's
history of advanced advanced aviation, which began with the Wright
brothers and continues to grow surrounding the Dayton-area
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
“We are an aerospace state,” DeWine said. He called Ohio “the brains of
the Air Force.”
DeWine, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and JobsOhio CEO J.P. Nauseef said that,
through targeted economic development efforts, the state boasts a strong
and diverse aerospace workforce. They said it also has a network of job
training centers, colleges and universities prepared to educate new
advanced manufacturing workers. Those helped attract the
nationally-competitive deal, they said.
[to top of second column] |
This image provided by Anduril Industries shows a rendering of a
manufacturing facility Anduril Industries is preparing to build in
central Ohio state officials announced Thursday, Jan. 16,
2025.(Anduril Industries via AP)
 “Ohio has literally built a strategy
around this kind of project, and so we are perfect for them," Husted
said.
The aerospace sector in Ohio includes the global headquarters of GE
Aerospace and a new Joby Aviation manufacturing facility near Dayton
that's preparing to manufacture electric vertical takeoff and
landing, or eVTOL, aircraft beginning this year.
Anduril casts the Ohio facility as integral to 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 becoming known as a “silicon
corridor” based in Ohio. It includes Intel, which is building a $20
billion chip factory just east of the Columbus, and Honda and LG
Energy Solution of South Korea, which are building a $3.5 billion
battery plant in nearby Fayette County that 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 dovetail with those efforts.
At separate upcoming state meetings, the Anduril project will pursue
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 established to help local
governments prepare sites for economic development projects.
JobsOhio also plans to provide the project a sizeable grant, whose
exact amount will be announced once agreements are signed, as well
as talent acquisition services.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
