The defense technology company plans to build the Arsenal-2 facility in Maryland to make components for Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines. The project is also tied to a $2.9 billion Navy commitment and a Pentagon study of future military technologies.
U.S. defense technology company Anduril plans to invest $3.7 billion in a new shipyard, Arsenal-2, at Sparrows Point in Maryland to build components for Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines. President Donald Trump was due to present the project on Tuesday. Al Jazeera reported that Anduril will also receive a $2.9 billion U.S. Navy contract; the Associated Press confirmed the investment and reported that the government intends to buy products made at the facility.
The plant is expected to manufacture torpedo tubes and large hull sections. Anduril estimates the project will create about 3,100 jobs at the facility and support more than 11,000 indirect jobs. The expansion is intended to bolster U.S. shipbuilding. Figures cited by Al Jazeera from Defense Department and Navy officials put current submarine deliveries at about 1.1 to 1.2 boats a year, below the Pentagon’s target of two.
Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey is also working with Elon Musk on the Pentagon’s Project Meridian, a study of future military capabilities that includes autonomous systems, artificial intelligence and maritime technologies. Al Jazeera placed the initiative within a broader effort to accelerate shipbuilding and weapons production.