Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace plans to build a U.S. missile production facility in James City County, Virginia, following the Norwegian company’s establishment of a similar factory in Australia.
The Pennsylvania facility will be equipped to assemble, upgrade and repair Naval Strike Missile and Joint Strike Missile. It was established on Kongsberg’s expectation that it could secure a multiyear missile procurement contract from the U.S. Department of Defense. In June, the U.S. Air Force awarded Kongsberg a $141 million contract to supply JSMs for the service’s F-35A fighters.
According to Heather Armentrout, president and general manager of Kongsberg’s U.S. subsidiary, the new factory in Virginia, which will have 180 workers, is in addition to the capacity expansion at the unit’s main facility in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
“We will also be investing more than $100 million into the Commonwealth of Virginia over the next few years, in terms of property, plant and equipment,” she said.
The new production capacities from the plants in the United States, Australia and Norway target an anticipated “strong and long-term demand” for the company’s missiles, said Kongsberg President and CEO Geir Haoy. “Kongsberg has a proud history in the United States, and we are delighted to continue to invest in the country to support American interests while creating jobs locally,” he added.