Anduril picks Ohio for 5 million square foot autonomous weapon factory

Anduril has found a new home in Middle America with confirmation today that the defense tech maker plans to build its first hyperscale manufacturing facility in Columbus, Ohio. 

Dubbed Arsenal-1, Anduril claims the planned five million square foot (464,000 square meter) facility is intended to produce tens of thousands of autonomous military systems a year. Designed to be product agnostic, the hyperscale factory will use a common set of equipment that can quickly switch between products as the defense industry demands them. 

"Arsenal-1 represents a step forward in how we manufacture the autonomous systems and weapons that our nation and our allies need to remain secure," claimed Anduril CEO Brian Schimpf in a statement. "By harnessing a world-class workforce and a scalable, software-driven approach to manufacturing, Arsenal-1 will set the standard for how we respond to the challenges of the future fight." 

As Schimpf mentioned, Arsenal-1 will be driven by software Anduril calls Arsenal OS (no word on whether it's Linux-based or not), which integrates design, development, and production for all of Anduril's various unmanned vehicles. 

"Arsenal-1 provides maximum flexibility to reallocate the most critical manufacturing resources - people, capital, machines, and materials - to meet new requirements, launch new products, or scale production to meet surges in demand, indefinitely," the manufacturer said.

The massive factory won't come cheap, naturally. Anduril claims it plans to invest nearly $1 billion of its own cash into the project in addition to the $1.5 billion it said was raised last year to build its "arsenal of democracy". 

The plot of land where it's building Arsenal-1 is next to Rickenbacker Airport in southern Columbus, and current construction plans will leave more than 500 acres of space available for future expansion. 

"Arsenal-1 is primed for long-term scalability and will manufacture and produce most of Anduril's autonomous weapons, sensors and systems at full rate production," Anduril said. 

• Politicians call for ban on 'killer robots' and the curbing of AI weapons
• Feel Luckey, punk? Oculus designer builds VR murder headset
• US military pulls the trigger, uses AI to target air strikes
• We can't make this stuff up: Palantir, Anduril form fellowship for AI adventures

Anduril decided on the site following "an extensive, year-long search process," and said construction would begin as soon as approval was granted, amid proposals to have the first finished machines rolling out of the factory doors by July 2026. 

The biz expects the facility to employ more than 4,000 Ohioans, but those looking for a job building autonomous weapons ought not to get too excited yet. According to a post on X by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Arsenal-1 won't reach that headcount until 2035, at which point he claims the project will be the largest new payroll and job creation initiative in Ohio's history. 

Arsenal-1 is expected to contribute about $1 billion to Ohio's GDP, with a projected $800 million in tax revenue, according to DeWine.

"Ohio has been  - and remains - a visionary force within the aerospace industry, driving innovation and growth in every facet," DeWine said, making it a natural choice for the new facility. Not only is there an extensive network of critical Air Force bases in the state, Ohio is also home to the Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA's Glenn Research Center. 

It's also a nice manufacturing reprieve for the state, one of the worst hit by the US' "Rust Belt" phenomenon in America's midwest due to the loss of manufacturing facilities in the region - an area where Intel's plans for new chip fabs have been delayed due to funding issues and rising costs. ®