COLUMBUS, Ohio — U.S. defense contractor Anduril Industries is preparing to build a massive advanced manufacturing facility in central Ohio, adding a planned 4,000 jobs to the area's burgeoning high-tech sector, state officials announced Thursday.

The Cosa Mesa, California-based defense technology company plans to begin construction of what it's calling “Arsenal 1” as soon as state and local approvals are secured. The 5 million-square-foot (464,515-square-meter) facility will be located on a 500-acre (202-hectare) site near Rickenbacker International Airport in rural Pickaway County, about 16 miles (26 kilometers) southeast of Columbus.

Production of military drones and autonomous air vehicles would begin in July 2026 under the plan, said Christian Brose, Anduril's chief strategy officer.

Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said it is the largest single job creation and payroll project that Ohio has announced. The governor said winning Anduril's manufacturing plant marks a continuation of Ohio's history of advanced aviation, which began with the Ohio-born Wright brothers and continues to grow surrounding the Dayton-area Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

“We are an aerospace state,” DeWine said. He called Ohio “the brains of the Air Force.”

DeWine, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and JobsOhio CEO J.P. Nauseef said that, through targeted economic development efforts, the state boasts a strong and diverse aerospace workforce. They said it also has a network of job training centers, colleges and universities prepared to educate new advanced manufacturing workers. Those helped attract the nationally-competitive deal, they said.

“Ohio has literally built a strategy around this kind of project, and so we are perfect for them," Husted said.

The aerospace sector in Ohio includes the global headquarters of GE Aerospace and a new Joby Aviation manufacturing facility near Dayton that's preparing to manufacture electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL, aircraft beginning this year.

Anduril casts the Ohio facility as integral to its goal to “Rebuild the Arsenal” of U.S. military weapons and platforms by “hyperscaling” manufacturing with advanced software and production technologies.

The latest development adds to what is becoming known as a “silicon corridor” based in Ohio. It includes Intel, which is building a $20 billion chip factory just east of the Columbus, and Honda and LG Energy Solution of South Korea, which are building a $3.5 billion battery plant in nearby Fayette County that the automaker envisions as its North American electric vehicle hub. Ohio State University also announced plans in 2023 to build a $110 million software innovation center to dovetail with those efforts.

At separate upcoming state meetings, the Anduril project will pursue a job creation tax credit from the Ohio Department of Development and a $70 million infusion from the All Ohio Future Fund, which the DeWine administration and lawmakers established to help local governments prepare sites for economic development projects. JobsOhio also plans to provide the project a sizeable grant, whose exact amount will be announced once agreements are signed, as well as talent acquisition services.

In addition, Anduril’s founder Palmer Luckey said Ukraine is one of its clients. The company’s artificial intelligence powered autonomous weapons, Luckey said, can strike targets the Russians really care about.

Luckey said it comes with the territory of working with the government and that’s why he’s sanctioned by the Russian government.

“I’ve actually personally gone there myself early in the war to help train Ukrainian operators on how to use our drones, how to use our weapon systems,” Luckey said. “We’ve had multiple major weapons transfer to Ukraine, where they’re being used to hit targets that are very, very difficult for traditional drones or missiles to hit.”

The purpose of their company is to build a credible national security capability, Luckey said.

 “We’re trying to build tools that make very clear that you have no chance to win against the United States,” Luckey said.

DeWine said it’s a project that’s been in the works for many years and the location is something that is a benefit for the company.

“In proximity not too far from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, I think that makes a difference in the location here,” DeWine said. “Because the county did a great job. What the commissioner said they’ve been planning this for 20 years.”

The company said it also plans to invest more than $900 million into the surrounding area.

“This is happening in Ohio in a big way,” Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, R-Ohio said. “We’re going to see jobs supply chain and all those things. it’s what it’s been happening for high tech manufacturing.”

The governor said when all is said and done, they’re expecting this development to grow to nearly 90 football fields.

The company’s founder estimates they’re getting hundreds of millions of dollars of incentives to build the facility. But he said they’re investing billions. When Spectrum News 1 asked DeWine how much of that is coming from the state, he said they will provide specific numbers at a later date.

“There’s just so many things in war that up until now required heroics and sacrifice on the part of individual men and servicewomen that do not need to be that case anymore,” Luckey said. “And I think that’s going to be a really important part of our future warfighting strategy, the ability to do the right strategic move without sacrificing people to make it.”

Those interested in working for Anduril can click here.