Kratos Defense & Security Solutions plans to expand its jet-powered drone manufacturing facility in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The expansion will add more than 100,000 square feet of manufacturing and production space to the company’s Oklahoma City manufacturing campus.

The company, which produces high-performance jet-powered drone systems for defense, national security, and global markets, is investing in additional manufacturing capacity to support increased customer demand, with the expansion creating additional production capabilities. Kratos currently produces approximately 165 high-performance jet drones annually, and the expansion will enable the company to increase production capacity. 

The expanded facility will support manufacturing, assembly, integration, and testing for multiple Kratos tactical jet aircraft programs, including the Valkyrie collaborative combat aircraft, the Firejet/Mighty Hornet IV and other jet-powered drone systems. 

Production at the expanded facility will include the Valkyrie, which was selected by the U.S. Marine Corps as the foundation of its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program of record, as well as the Mighty Hornet IV and Firejet aerial target systems. The Firejet system supports operational test, evaluation and weapons training for U.S. military and allied nations. 

Kratos said the expansion reflects continued investment in manufacturing infrastructure, production technologies and workforce development to increase the company’s ability to deliver affordable systems at the pace and scale required by customers. 

Growing to meet defense demand

In a recent quote, Steve Fendley, president of Kratos Unmanned Systems Division, said, “The future fight demands the ability to rapidly produce affordable, high-performance systems at scale. This expansion in Oklahoma City reflects our long-term commitment to investing ahead of customer demand and building the industrial capacity needed to support the Department of War’s modernization priorities. As autonomous systems become increasingly central to the future force, manufacturing readiness and producing at scale will be just as important as technology readiness, maybe more.” 

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