Download the full press release here.
Arsenal-1 in Pickaway County and manufacture its first products there in July 2026.
Today, the first Ohio-built Fury rolled off the production line, delivering on that commitment and marking a major milestone for the Columbus Region’s growing defense technology sector.
Fury is Anduril’s semi-autonomous fighter aircraft developed for the U.S. Air Force. In June, the Air Force selected Anduril to move the FQ-44 into production, a major step toward putting the aircraft into service. According to Anduril, the Fury production line at Arsenal-1 is capable of producing up to 150 aircraft annually in its current configuration.
Anduril began Fury production work at Arsenal-1 in March, three months ahead of the company’s original target to begin manufacturing in July. Completion of the first aircraft on July 27 fulfills the public timeline Anduril set when it announced the project on Jan. 16, 2025. In an industry where new aircraft factories routinely take three to five years to move from announcement to first delivery, Anduril and Ohio did it in less than two — announcing, permitting, constructing, equipping, hiring for and producing the first aircraft at Arsenal-1 in 18 months.
“Our job at One Columbus is to bring the right partners to the table and help clear the path for companies ready to make transformative investments,” said Jonas Peterson, chief economic development officer and president of One Columbus. “Securing Arsenal-1 demanded close coordination among partners across the Region. The first Fury rolling off the line 557 days after the announcement shows what that alignment can deliver.”
At full buildout, Arsenal-1 is planned as a five-million-square-foot advanced manufacturing campus on 500 acres near Rickenbacker International Airport, with runway access for testing and development. Anduril has committed $910.5 million in capital investment and 4,008 new production and service jobs by 2035. The project represents the largest single job creation and new payroll project in Ohio history.
“This moment belongs to the people who spent years preparing Pickaway County for an opportunity of this scale and to the Anduril team that moved with urgency from day one,” said Pickaway County Commissioner Jay Wippel. “Arsenal-1 will create thousands of jobs, help local businesses grow and open new career paths for people across our community.”
Arsenal-1 is designed to manufacture multiple autonomous systems at high volume for the United States and its allies. Anduril has said the completed campus will have the capacity to produce tens of thousands of autonomous systems.
“Arsenal-1 was an ambitious commitment to build faster, create thousands of jobs, and strengthen America’s defense, serving as an example of why Ohio is the No. 1 state for business,” said JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef.” Today’s milestone shows Anduril and Ohio are delivering: With initial production ahead of schedule and the first Fury complete within the original timeline, Ohio is positioned to support the next generation of advanced aerospace and defense manufacturing at scale.”
Ohio: Built for Speed
Anduril’s milestone reflects a broader Ohio advantage: helping aerospace and defense companies move from concept to production faster. At last week’s Farnborough International Airshow in England, JobsOhio highlighted the construction-ready sites, efficient permitting and supply chain of more than 640 aerospace firms that allow companies to build, test and scale in Ohio.
Recent investments reinforce that advantage. Electra selected Springfield for an $850 million, 1,975-job aircraft manufacturing operation after evaluating more than 140 locations. Beehive Industries announced a $70 million expansion in Southwest Ohio to scale jet engine production and create more than 200 jobs. Joby Aviation is expanding its Dayton-area footprint after moving from site selection to propeller blade production in two years.
In 2026, CNBC named Ohio America’s Top State for Business. For companies like Anduril, that ranking translates into something concrete: the ability to announce a 5-million-square-foot factory and roll the first aircraft off the line 557 days later.
Ohio Speed to Market, By the Numbers
• 557 days — from Anduril’s Arsenal-1 announcement to the first Ohio-built Fury, with production starting three months ahead of schedule
• ~2 years — from Joby’s Dayton site selection (2023) to propeller blade production (October 2025); second 700,000-sq.-ft. facility acquired January 2026 to double output by 2027
• 140+ locations evaluated nationally before Electra chose Springfield for its $850M, 1,975-job EL9 Ultra Short production facility
• Years to months — the propulsion development timeline Beehive Industries is compressing in Southwest Ohio ($70M, 200+ jobs, 8,000+ engines annually at scale)
• $1.16B+ in Ohio aerospace commitments (Electra + Beehive), announced side by side with the Built for Speed panel at the recent Farnborough International Airshow
• 640+ aerospace supply chain firms, anchored by Wright-Patterson AFB, AFRL, NASA Glenn and NAAMCE
• 1 — CNBC’s Top State for Business, 2026
###
About the Columbus Partnership
The Columbus Partnership brings together civic-minded business leaders to advance a shared vision to make Columbus the most prosperous region in the country. Columbus Partnership member CEOs are committed to the future of the Columbus metropolitan area through high-impact civic and philanthropic engagement. Through our One Columbus and Smart Columbus brands and investor support, our team works to help create jobs and attract capital investment, expand access to opportunity, and improve the economic competitiveness of the Columbus Region. Learn more at columbusregion.com.
About JobsOhio
JobsOhio is a private nonprofit economic development corporation designed to drive job creation and new capital investment in Ohio through business attraction, retention and expansion. The organization also works to seed talent production in its targeted industries and to attract talent to Ohio through Find Your Ohio. JobsOhio works with seven regional partners across Ohio: Dayton Development Coalition, Lake to River, Ohio Southeast, One Columbus, REDI Cincinnati, Regional Growth Partnership and Team NEO. Learn more at www.jobsohio.com. Follow the company on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.