Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace Inc. will establish a 150,000-square-foot facility in James City County, Virginia, the company’s first defense assembly and production facility in the United States, Governor Glenn Youngkin’s office announced. The project carries a $71 million capital investment, with an additional $30 million in engineering and software costs, and will create more than 180 jobs. Virginia competed against two other states for the project. Governor Youngkin approved a $1.5 million grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund and a $750,000 performance-based grant from the Virginia Investment Performance Grant to support the project.
What it means
The James City County facility will provide production capacity, sustainment, and in-country tech refresh capabilities for two cruise missiles procured by the Department of Defense. The U.S. Navy is procuring Naval Strike Missiles for littoral combat ships and the Constellation-class frigate, and the Marine Corps is using the same missile as a sea denial element in its Future Force Design plans. The U.S. Air Force is procuring Joint Strike Missiles for F-35 fighters. Heather Armentrout, president and general manager of Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace, Inc., said the decision to locate in James City County “was heavily influenced by the continuous availability of well-trained and highly skilled workers coming from the various military installations in the region.”
Workforce support for the facility will be provided through the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program, a state program launched in 2019. Governor Youngkin said Kongsberg’s selection of Virginia “reaffirms our status as America’s top state for business,” citing productive meetings in Europe ahead of the decision.
Key facts
- Facility size: 150,000 square feet, James City County, Virginia
- Capital investment: $71 million (according to the company)
- Additional investment in engineering and software: $30 million (according to the company)
- Jobs created: 180-plus, described as high-paying (according to the company)
- Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund grant: $1.5 million, approved by Governor Youngkin
- Virginia Investment Performance Grant: $750,000, performance-based, approved by Governor Youngkin
- First U.S. defense assembly and production facility for Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace
- Missiles to be produced: Naval Strike Missile (Navy, Marine Corps) and Joint Strike Missile (Air Force, F-35)
- Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace is the defense and aerospace division of KONGSBERG Group, founded in 1814
Source: Office of the Governor of Virginia (Glenn Youngkin), news release via vedp.org