New missile production center opens in West Virginia

ROCKET CENTER, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia lawmakers were in Mineral County on Thursday to celebrate expansions at the Naval Industrial Reserve Ordnance Plant at the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory.

Officials from Northrop Grumman Corporation officially cut the ribbon on a new production and assembly center which will build on the company’s existing operations in West Virginia to “rapidly manufacture critical capabilities for high-rate production programs,” according to a press release.

This is Northrop Grumman’s fourth defense manufacturing plant, and it spans 113,000 square feet, according to the release. The new plant will allow for expanded production to meet the surging demand for advanced weapons, including the U.S. Navy’s Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile Extended Range (AARGM-ER)—a high-speed, extended-range, air-to-ground missile, Northrop Grumman said.

“The expansion will enable Northrop Grumman to increase the output of critical capabilities to replenish stockpiles that support the U.S. and its allies,” the press release said.

With the new facility, Northrop Grumman will be able to deliver 300 strike missiles per year.

West Virginia’s Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV) attended Thursday’s ribbon cutting and celebrated the upgrade that they said will have positive impacts on U.S. national security and the state of West Virginia.

“The Allegany Ballistics Laboratory is a crucial part of our defense industrial base, and I’m proud that some of our nation’s most technologically advanced weapons will be built right here at home in West Virginia,” Sen. Capito said in the release.

“Opening this new Missile Integration Facility is an important step in bringing manufacturing back to West Virginia. West Virginia is proud to be at the forefront of reindustrializing—bringing critical production back home, creating more jobs, while equipping our men and women in uniform with the tools that they need to deter our enemies,” Rep. Moore said in the release.