(TotalConservative.com) – A new factory in Texas owned by defense contractor General Dynamics is slated to mass produce artillery shells which are desperately needed by the Ukrainian military to combat Russian advances. The conflict has drained stockpiles of World War 2 era munitions leading U.S. authorities to expand domestic production to not-only continue to arm the Ukrainians but also replenish stockpiles for potential future wars.
The Department of Defense has invested $6 billion to modernize older factories and build new ones armed with the latest in fabrication and robotic technology. General Dynamics was specifically granted a portion of a $1 billion contract to rapidly expand domestic production of 155mm artillery shells.
The 100-lb munitions are currently produced on the order of 30,000 per month, Pentagon officials want to see the production capacity expanded to 100,000 per month. Ukraine has consistently fired thousands of these per day using U.S.-made M777 howitzers. The weapons can effectively nail targets up to 20 miles away. Russia has used similar artillery to bombard Ukrainian defensive positions prior to advancing armor and ground troops. They currently have the numbers advantage and were recently rumored to have purchased additional artillery rounds from North Korea.
The new General Dynamics facility in Texas will use advanced fabricators and robotics technology purchased from Turkey, Japan, and Germany to get production up and running as soon as possible. CEO Phebe Novakovic explained to corporate press that they chose the location as it was close to another munitions plant they own allowing for the transfer of competent workers to maximize the speed with which they can pump out the munitions.
The manufacturing process itself is automated, but workers are required for oversight and maintenance. Ultimately the plant will employ 400 workers with 27 focused on running the machines while the rest will maintain them.
The plant in Texas is just one part of a larger supply chain. This plant produces the shell casings which then must be packed with explosive material before they’re considered live. The completed rounds are then shipped to Ukraine or U.S. warehouses.
The Ukrainian war has highlighted a need for expanded manufacturing capacity as well as driven dramatic growth in the U.S. defense industry.
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