skip to main content

Anduril selects Columbus, Ohio to house Arsenal-1 ‘hyperscale' factory

By Zach Rosenberg |

An artist's impression of Anduril's planned Arsenal-1 manufacturing facility. (Anduril Industries)

Anduril Industries has selected a site near Rickenbacker International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, to house a planned 5 million sq ft unmanned vehicle production factory, chief strategy officer Chris Brose told reporters on 15 January. Construction of the USD1 billion factory, dubbed Arsenal-1, is set to begin “as soon as we have clearance to”, said Brose, and is scheduled to finish in 2025.

The search for a suitable factory site took a year, said Brose, with sites across the US considered. Columbus landed the factory for several reasons, said Brose – access to Rickenbacker International Airport, which has two 12,000 ft (3,657 m) runways, a large parking apron, and hangars suitable for large aircraft; proximity to interstate highways and freight rail lines; a large pool of skilled labour in the region; and proximity to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which houses the Air Force Research Laboratory and other research institutions. Testing aerial products at Rickenbacker International Airport or elsewhere nearby is subject to “a conversation we're going to have in the months to come” with Ohio state authorities, Brose said.

Arsenal-1's output is meant to be “thousands and thousands” of unmanned systems each year, many of which share common components or software, said Brose. The first planned products are the Fury unmanned combat air vehicle, one of the US Air Force's (USAF's) two Collaborative Combat Aircraft models; the Roadrunner counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) ; and the Barracuda cruise missile. The first products are scheduled to roll out of the factory in mid-2025 and the company intends to add additional product lines in the future, Brose added.

Looking to read the full article?

Gain unlimited access to Janes news and more...