Northrop Grumman opens new missile factory in West Virginia

Northrop Grumman announced September 26 it had opened a new factory for building air-to-ground missiles in its Rocket Center, West Virginia weapons campus.

The new Missile Integration Facility, or MIF, marks a 113,000-square-foot expansion of the company’s area Naval Industrial Reserve Ordnance Plant in its Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (ABL) about 85 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

According to a company statement, the new site will let Northrop Grumman deliver 300 strike missiles annually to meet what the company said is growing demand for weapons in response to world events. Specifically, the new site will build extended-range Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM-ER) for the U.S. Navy.

The arms manufacturer didn’t specify how many jobs the new facility would create, but it did note the MIF would add engineering and manufacturing jobs to the area and that the company has invested $1 billion in manufacturing facilities since 2018.

What people are saying

“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,” said Frank DeMauro, VP and GM of Northrop Grumman weapons systems. “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.” 

“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,” said West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito. “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.”

“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,” said Representative Riley M. Moore. “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.” 

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