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A new state-of-the-art facility has opened in West Virginia to advance and streamline production of US-made missiles and weapons.
Northrop Grumman has opened a new Missile Integration Facility (MIF) in West Virginia with the intention of expanding production output and capacity.
Northrop Grumman’s weapons system vice president and general manager, Frank DeMauro, said the “cutting-edge Missile Integration Facility expands manufacturing capacity and our team’s ability to deliver for our customers at a critical time”.
“The MIF is the latest shining example of how Northrop Grumman’s $1 billion-dollar-plus investment in advanced manufacturing facilities since 2018 ensures we’ve got capacity needed to meet growing customer demand and support a resilient defence industrial base now and in the future.”
The state-of-the-art facility will see all production elements (assembly, testing and shipping) being consolidated into one place in order to streamline manufacturing and output, with Northrop Grumman citing goals of producing and delivering 300 strike missiles annually.
This facility comes as an expansion to Northrop Grumman’s existing operation of the Naval Industrial Reserve Ordnance Plant at the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory, which is a “critical” national asset to support US national security and defence capabilities and has been operational since 1944.
“Expanding our capacity to produce the world’s most advanced munitions is vital,” Senator Shelley Capito said.
“The Allegany Ballistics Laboratory is a crucial part of our defence industrial base and I’m proud that some of our nation’s most technologically advanced weapons will be built right here at home in West Virginia.”
Over recent years, Northrop Grumman has invested over $1 billion to facilitate weapons manufacturing growth for products including missile components and solid rocket motors. Northrop said that the over 110,000-foot facility will “redefine defence manufacturing”, with the opportunity for new engineering and production roles opening in the area supporting their mission to build “capacity, scale and agility to drive innovation at unprecedented speeds”.
Representative Riley Moore said on the MIF that it is “an important step in bringing manufacturing back to West Virginia”.
“Northrop Grumman’s continued investment in our state is a testament to the vital role we play in securing the future of American defence and rebuilding our heartland.”
