Northrop Grumman Corporation today opened a new state-of-the-art production and assembly center in Rocket Center, West Virginia, to scale delivery of advanced strike missiles. The new Missile Integration Facility (MIF) is the latest expansion of the Naval Industrial Reserve Ordnance Plant at the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (ABL) and builds on the company's ability to scale production and rapidly manufacture critical capabilities for high-rate production programs.

• Plant 4 and the MIF provide ABL the ability to expand production capacity, which is increasingly critical to national security as the defense industry experiences a surge in demand for advanced weapons and energetic capabilities in response to worldwide events. The expansion will enable Northrop Grumman to increase the output of critical capabilities to replenish stockpiles that support the U.S. and its allies.
• Spanning 113,000 square feet (almost the size of two football fields), the facility redefines defense manufacturing by accelerating production of the U.S. Navy's (AARGM-ER), a high-speed, extended-range, air-to-ground missile.
• Consolidating production, assembly, testing and shipping under one roof, while utilizing leading-edge digital manufacturing technologies, the MIF will enable Northrop Grumman to deliver 300 strike missiles per year.
• The facility will include expanded manufacturing workforce skillsets, adding engineering and manufacturing jobs to the area, reinforcing Northrop Grumman's leadership as one of West Virginia's largest manufacturing employers.

Expert:

Frank DeMauro, vice president and general manager, weapons system, Northrop Grumman: "Northrop Grumman is delivering advanced weapons capabilities at scale today, including missile components like tactical solid rocket motors and payloads, and – with today's opening – advanced strike missiles. 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 defense industrial base now and in the future."

Senator Shelley Moore Capito (W. Va): "Expanding our capacity to produce the world's most advanced munitions is vital to ensuring that our men and women in uniform have the tools they need to deter aggression or prevail in a future conflict. The Allegany Ballistics Laboratory is a crucial part of our defense 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. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, I look forward to seeing the positive impacts of this expansion project on U.S. national security and the state of West Virginia."

Representative Riley M. Moore (W. Va): "Opening this new Missile Integration Facility is an important step in bringing manufacturing back to West Virginia. West Virginia is proud to be at the forefront of reindustrializing—bringing critical production back home, creating more jobs, while equipping our men and women in uniform with the tools that they need to deter our enemies. Northrop Grumman's continued investment in our state is a testament to the vital role we play in securing the future of American defense and rebuilding our heartland."

Details:

To meet growing demand from customers, Northrop Grumman has invested more than $1 billion to build capacity and capability for weapons and missile components, including solid rocket motors. As a leading propulsion provider, Northrop Grumman is investing in facilities, capacity and technologies to produce effective advanced weapons and solid rocket motors affordably at scale. The opening of Plant 4 at ABL brings to over 1 million sq feet the amount of new and renovated manufacturing space the company has added in the past seven years.

Plant 4 and the MIF provide ABL the ability to expand production capacity, which is increasingly critical to national security as the defense industry experiences a surge in demand for advanced weapons and energetic capabilities in response to worldwide events. The expansion will enable Northrop Grumman to increase the output of critical capabilities to replenish stockpiles that support the U.S. and its allies.

Northrop Grumman is a leading provider of advanced weapons systems including hypersonic propulsion, armaments, components, missiles, electronics and interceptors. The company operates ABL, a national asset that has produced tactical rocket motors, medium and large caliber ammunition, composite structure, mechanical and electronic fuzes and advanced weapons for the U.S. and its allies since the 1940s.

With nearly 100,000 employees and over 30 million square feet of manufacturing space – more than 500 football fields – Northrop Grumman has the capacity, scale, and agility to drive innovation at unprecedented speeds. The company's manufacturing approaches do more than just produce; they accelerate and enhance the entire process from design and development to production and testing. Northrop Grumman has invested in U.S. infrastructure, R&D, its workforce, and its supply chain to deliver today and tomorrow's national security needs.