SPARROWS POINT, MD. — American defense contractor Anduril Industries has selected the 3,300-acre Tradepoint Atlantic logistics and industrial park in Maryland’s Baltimore County for the site of a new $3.7 billion shipbuilding operation. Dubbed Arsenal-2, the 2 million-square-foot facility will be developed on the former Bethlehem Steel site in Sparrows Point and will expand the U.S. Navy’s submarine industrial base.
The facility is expected to directly create 3,100 permanent jobs in Maryland and support more than 14,000 jobs overall. The project is estimated to generate more than $2 billion in annual economic output, including $312 million in wages.
Arsenal-2 represents the largest single private investment in Maryland and the state’s largest job creator in over a decade, according to the State of Maryland.
“With this facility, thousands of Marylanders will have new pathways to work, wages and wealth through advanced training and high-skilled maritime manufacturing jobs,” says Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. “We thank Anduril for choosing Maryland, and we’re ready to build the future of the aerospace and defense economy together.”
“Sparrows Point helped build the fleet that won World War II,” adds Brian Schimpf, co-founder and CEO of Anduril. “With Arsenal-2, Anduril will return large-scale shipbuilding to a site that can once again define American naval power.”
The construction timeline and further details of the new facility have not yet been released.
The State of Maryland and Baltimore County have made commitments to match up to 13 percent of the total anticipated private investment by Anduril through existing economic incentive programs and new avenues that will require approval by the Maryland General Assembly and Baltimore County Council. The state incentive package includes capital support for the construction of a workforce training facility at a to-be-determined site at or near Tradepoint Atlantic.
The State of Maryland will also pursue a “Maritime Prosperity Zone” federal designation for the region, which will support Maryland’s maritime industry and workforce.
Anduril Properties is based in Southern California and produces advanced weaponry and defense technology, including autonomous undersea vehicles and components for nuclear-powered attack submarines for the Navy. Last year, the company selected a site in Columbus, Ohio for its first hyperscale weapons manufacturing facility.
— John Nelson