Defense company Anduril Industries provided a detailed update on its new plant in Ohio, which will begin operations by building unmanned fighter jet prototypes.
Just 12 months after announcing its ambitious nearly $1 billion investment into a sprawling factory near Columbus, Ohio, Anduril has looked toward the horizon of 2035 and beyond.
“Arsenal-1 will be at the frontier of our rapid pace,” Arsenal, co-founded by OC entrepreneur Palmer Luckey, said on Jan. 29.
That includes 895,000 square feet of production and office space in what it calls Building 1 and 924,000 square feet in what it calls Building 2.
Anduril says the Ohio site, first announced Jan. 15, 2025, is expected to eventually employ 4,000 people working in 5 million square feet of space. It has received massive support from the Buckeye State government and could eventually cost more than $2 billion.
Closely Watched Defense Firm
Anduril may be the most closely watched U.S. defense company, especially as investors await its public listing.
The rapidly expanding company says it is also building a major new campus in Long Beach, just over the border from Orange County, to hold 5,500 workers.
Anduril says it will keep its headquarters in Costa Mesa; it employs 3,200 people in Orange County as of last July.
Anduril said on Jan. 29 that the first products from its Arsenal-1 plant in Ohio will be prototypes of the company’s YFQ-44A Fury unmanned fighter jet.
The Air Force will decide later whether to award the full-scale order to Anduril or General Atomics. That decision is expected later this year.
‘All Possible Speed’ Needed
While a final winner has not been declared, Anduril is clearly looking forward to full-scale production of the aircraft.
“It’s not enough to just build YFQ-44A, though,” Anduril said. “It needs to be done with all possible speed.”
The company said “we’re on the hook to deliver a real, operational capability by the end of the decade.”
It is part of the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, which is building autonomous combat aircraft to support human fighter pilots.
Multiple programs will move production to Arsenal-1 over the next 12 months as the company continues the site’s buildout.
Anduril also expressed its “long-term commitment” to the region where Arsenal-1 is located.
“As work continues, Anduril remains committed to building and sustaining the industrial capabilities required for the next generation of defense systems,” Anduril said.
While Anduril specializes in weapons such as airborne and seaborne drones, as well as other warfighting tools, the company does not undertake mammoth projects such as building aircraft carriers, long-range missiles and manned fighter jets.
