Inside Anduril’s Factory: Collaborative Combat Aircraft Production Launches

Anduril Industries has started production of its YFQ-44A “Fury” drone at the Arsenal-1 plant in Pickaway County, Ohio. The company announced the milestone on March 23. The facility sits about 20 miles southeast of Columbus.

Production goals and timeline

Anduril aims to produce roughly 50 aircraft per year initially. The firm plans to expand capacity to about 150 aircraft with additional shifts and hires. Executives say the first production aircraft should roll off the line this summer.

The Air Force has not disclosed purchase quantities for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program. Anduril is competing with General Atomics’ YFQ-42A for the program’s first increment.

Factory layout and assembly flow

Arsenal-1 is a hangar-like building with about 22 workstations dedicated to Fury production. The line starts with structure work and moves to hydraulics, fuel, and avionics.

Midline stations install landing gear, wings, and the engine. Final stations conduct ground testing while the aircraft sits on its own gear.

Components and design choices

Anduril reports that 94 percent of Fury components are commercially available. The aircraft uses a commercial business-jet engine and contains about 5,000 line-item parts.

Prototypes are expected to closely match production aircraft. The company says simplicity of design supports a straightforward assembly process.

Workforce and site expansion

About 30 workers are building the initial Fury batches in Ohio. Those technicians trained at Anduril facilities in California.

Anduril expects to employ 250 people at Arsenal-1 by year-end. The company plans to hire roughly 4,000 workers over the next decade.

Flexible manufacturing approach

Company leaders emphasized a low-monument factory design. Executives said they avoided heavy fixed infrastructure and robotics to keep flexibility.

Leaders described the site as automation-free at startup. Utilities run on cord rails above movable workstations to allow quick reconfiguration.

Additional programs at the site

Arsenal-1 will host production for other systems by year-end. Planned builds include the Roadrunner VTOL drone and Barracuda cruise missiles. A classified program is also slated for the facility.

Program status and undisclosed details

Anduril declined to disclose how many Fury jets are under contract or have been produced so far. Some YFQ-44As were built at other company sites and are under Air Force testing.

The firm says Arsenal-1 can meet Air Force needs if awarded the production contract. Company officials stress the plant can scale up quickly if required.

Filmogaz.com covered the facility tour and spoke with company production leaders during the site visit.