Ohio defense contractor to get record $310M to create more than 4,000 jobs

In early 2022, JobsOhio had said it was prepared to help Intel with up to $150 million in grants build Columbus-area semiconductor fabrication plants.

Anduril is expected to create 4,008 new jobs and more than $530 million in new payroll over the next decade, investing at least $910.5 million in a site near Rickenbacker International Airport.

JobsOhio’s assistance is payable over a decade, and those commitments must be maintained for the remaining 20 years of the 30-year deal, the state corporation said.

When the Anduril plant — dubbed “Arsenal-1″ — is fully staffed and operational in 2035, the average salary for workers there will be just over $132,305 annually, boosting payroll taxes to Ohio for at least the next 20 years, JobsOhio said.

“JobsOhio’s assistance aligns with our goal to attract the world’s most cutting-edge companies while creating generational opportunities for Ohio’s people and economy,” JobsOhio President and Chief Executive J.P. Nauseef said in a statement. “It is based on Anduril meeting and maintaining its commitments over the next 30 years. Anduril’s decision to choose Pickaway County not only brings the largest job creation project in Ohio’s history, it strengthens this state’s position as a global leader in aerospace and aviation innovation while presenting an unmatched opportunity to seize more of the sector’s rapidly evolving supply chain.

Anduril has a deep relationship with the Air Force and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where the Air Force’s future is planned and its fleet sustained.

Last year, the Air Force picked Anduril as one of two vendors to move forward on the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, making an airplane that will be designed to have autonomous capabilities.

Anduril is expected to design, manufacture, and test production-representative CCAs, the Air Force has said.

“Arsenal-1 demonstrates the value proposition of Ohio’s workers, learning institutions, supply chain advantages, and access to customers for cutting-edge companies on the coasts looking to advance technology and grow their businesses,” Nauseef said.