Kratos Expands Factory to Ramp Up Valkyrie Drone Production
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions is expanding its Oklahoma City manufacturing facility to increase production of its Valkyrie collaborative combat aircraft and other jet-powered drone systems.
The company said it is adding more than 100,000 square feet (9,290 square meters) of manufacturing and production space to its Oklahoma City campus to meet growing demand from the US Department of Defense and allied customers.
According to Kratos, the expanded facility will increase manufacturing, assembly, integration, and testing capacity for several unmanned aircraft programs, including the XQ-58A Valkyrie, Mighty Hornet IV, and Firejet aerial target system.
Kratos currently produces about 165 high-performance jet drones each year.
“The future fight demands the ability to rapidly produce affordable, high-performance systems at scale,” Steve Fendley, President of Kratos Unmanned Systems Division, said.
US Defense Firms’ Expansion
Kratos joins a growing list of US defense firms investing in new manufacturing facilities to meet rising military demand and strengthen the domestic industrial base.
In July, Canadian firm INKAS announced plans to open two new facilities, including an armored vehicle production plant in North Carolina and another in Florida, more than doubling the company’s manufacturing footprint.
In June, RTX committed $100 million to expand its Raytheon facility in Rhode Island to increase production of LTAMDS radar and Patriot GEM-T missile components, while also investing $26.5 million to expand Collins Aerospace’s Florida facility for aviation radar and defense communications systems in May.
During the same month, Ultra Maritime opened an expanded plant in North Carolina to boost production of next-generation radar systems for US Navy surface ships.
