‘Most jobs in Maryland in history’: Governor lauds Anduril’s $6.6 billion submarine project at Baltimore shipyard to create over 3000 direct jobs

Anduril is injecting $3.7 billion of private capital into a new shipyard in Maryland that is expected to create thousands of high-paying jobs. At the same time, the California-based weapon manufacturer has won a $2.9 billion contract from the US Navy.

“Altogether, this equates to a $6.6 billion investment in America’s submarine industrial base,” the company said in a media release on October 6. As per them, this “ensures that Anduril, not the taxpayer, takes on the majority of the execution risk.”

Named Arsenal-2, this new facility will be built at Tradepoint Atlantic in Sparrows Point, Baltimore County. And the company expects to begin the initial operations within 4 years.


“This massive new project will deliver the largest private investment, drive billions of dollars of economic activity, and create the most jobs in Maryland in history,” Maryland’s Democrat Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement included in Anduril’s announcement.

What exactly will Anduril build?

Arsenal-2’s more than 2 million-square-foot facility will manufacture critical components and large-scale assemblies for the nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarine. Then it will be delivered to General Dynamics Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding, the companies that build the submarines. Currently, the US Navy has 26 of them, and two more are expected to join the forces by next year.

Anduril says the facility will be designed for high-volume production of undersea naval components, with fabrication areas, high-bay assembly halls, testing and integration areas, and production lines that can be reconfigured as Navy requirements change.

Sized nearly 40 times a football field, the site will occupy about 187 acres and include a 1,200-foot graving dock, along with road, rail, and maritime connections for moving large components and materials.

Torpedo tubes and other components will be made in California

Anduril is also building a 160,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Orange County, California, where it plans to begin work before Arsenal-2 opens.

The California facility will support prototyping and production of Virginia-class test assets and maritime components, including torpedo tubes, while Anduril develops and validates its manufacturing and quality systems. The company says this will give it a roughly two-year operational head start before Arsenal-2 begins production in Maryland.

3,100 direct jobs and more than 11,000 indirect jobs

As per the company's estimates, the Maryland project is expected to create 3,100 direct jobs and support more than 11,000 indirect jobs. They also outline that the economic output of the site could generate about $2 billion in annual economic output, including approximately $312 million in annual wages.

Anduril said Arsenal-2 will allow more submarine work to happen in parallel by adding another source of components and assemblies to an industrial network already serving the program.

“This project will help deliver that promise to thousands of Marylanders,” Rep. Johnny Olszewski said, referring to the jobs and wages expected from the investment.

A ‘game changer’ for Maryland

Local businesses are thrilled with the announcement of the massive project. “Ever since Tradepoint Atlantic came here, it has opened up so many jobs for the community and also brought so much business to us,” Irene Kazakos, who works at Pizza Roma and is the daughter of one of the owners, told WBAL-TV.

“That just means longer lines out the door, working harder, making money, creating opportunities for everyone,” an optimistic Jonathan Sachs, Baltimore County’s director of economic and workforce development, told the publication. "Our research shows that this is the largest attraction in county history and one of the largest private investments in county history."

“It is really a game changer,” added Sachs. "When you have 3,100 jobs just from the company employees there. We are estimated to have up to 10,000 jobs really now in the economy working to support that work.”