Northrop Grumman Corp. on Thursday opened a new production and assembly center at the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory in Mineral County to expand delivery of advanced strike missiles. The 113,000-square-foot Missile Integration Facility, nearly the size of two football fields, consolidates production, assembly, testing and shipping under one roof. The site uses digital manufacturing technologies to help the company deliver up to 300 strike missiles per year, including the Navy’s extended-range, air-to-ground AARGM-ER.
The expansion, along with Plant 4 at the Naval Industrial Reserve Ordnance Plant, will allow the company to increase output of critical capabilities to replenish U.S. and allied stockpiles as demand for advanced weapons grows worldwide.
Frank DeMauro, Northrop Grumman vice president and general manager of weapons systems, said the facility is part of more than $1 billion invested in advanced manufacturing since 2018.
“Northrop Grumman is delivering advanced weapons capabilities at scale today … and — with today’s opening — advanced strike missiles,” 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.”
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who serves on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, said the project strengthens both U.S. security and West Virginia’s economy.
“Expanding our capacity to produce the world’s most advanced munitions is vital … and I’m proud that some of our nation’s most technologically advanced weapons will be built right here at home in West Virginia,” Capito said.
Rep. Riley M. Moore, R-W.Va., said the facility brings manufacturing back to the state.
“Opening this new Missile Integration Facility is an important step in bringing manufacturing back to West Virginia,” he said. “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.”
Northrop Grumman operates the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory, which has produced tactical rocket motors, ammunition, composite structures and advanced weapons for the U.S. and allies since the 1940s.
With the addition of Plant 4 and the Missile Integration Facility, the company has added more than 1 million square feet of new and renovated space in West Virginia over the past seven years.
“As we have for over 70 years, Northrop Grumman continues to invest in the capacity and readiness of our advanced manufacturing and military technology leadership right here in West Virginia,” DeMauro said. “This new facility revolutionizes the way we deliver capability and advanced weapons for our warfighters at a critical time — with speed, scale and precision.”