This spring has seen new expansions and facilities sprouting across the country. That has included a new Lockheed Martin assembly facility in Alabama, modernization at a Texas shipyard undertaken by Davie Defense, and a new operations center in Colorado’s Schriever Space Force Base.
Missile Assembly Building 5 in the Heart of Dixie
On Monday, Lockheed Martin inaugurated its 88,000-square-foot multi-purpose Missile Assembly Building 5 (MAB-5) in Courtland, Alabama. The aerospace and defense giant announced that the “state-of-the-art plant will produce the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA).” It will further be part of efforts to enhance the country’s layered missile defense architecture.
The new facility will also consolidate Lockheed Martin’s sophisticated digital manufacturing tools and processes, and enable high efficiency and repeatable production. MAB-5 will also draw from the company’s best practices from other programs, notably its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and hypersonics, and adopt a “digital twin” methodology. The goal is to reduce risk from design to sustainment.
In addition, greater automation with data-driven workflows will be in place to provide consistent, high-quality output at the facility.
“By bringing together digital engineering and modern manufacturing techniques, this facility is designed to accelerate production while maintaining the highest standards of quality and reliability,” the company explained.
Construction on MAB-5 began in 2023, and the plant has been described as being “Costco-sized,” employing approximately 100 people. Lockheed Martin’s entire Courtland, Alabama, campus currently supports multiple United States Army, United States Navy, and MDA programs, employing nearly 500 people.
“You are not just building infrastructure, you are building the Arsenal of Freedom,” said Director of Golden Dome for America Gen. Mike Guetlein, who leads the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) effort to develop a next-generation missile defense shield.
“We are moving with purpose, with urgency, and we are moving out,” added Guetlein. “We are forging the shield to secure the Homeland together.”
NGI is an open system interceptor that can be seamlessly integrated with a layered defense network of space-based sensors, radars, command and control systems and other interceptors, the aerospace firm noted.
“Think of this as deterrence through defense,” added Christopher Jewell, NGI vice president and program manager at Lockheed Martin. “It sends a clear signal that threats can be detected, tracked and defeated before they ever reach their intended target.”
MAB-5 builds on the company’s existing footprint in the Heart of Dixie going back to 1963, with the Courtland facility producing defense systems in Courtland since 1994.
“The talent in north Alabama is the engine behind the next generation of our nation’s defense systems, and this project will create high-skill jobs and new career pathways while strengthening our local economy,” said U.S. Rep. Dale Strong. “This state-of-the-art facility will play a major role in protecting our homeland as well as reshaping Courtland’s role as a steady source of quality jobs and growth for the Tennessee Valley.”
New Op Center in the Centennial State
Groundbreaking for the permanent U.S. Space Command Headquarters at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, is scheduled to take place in 2027, but even as it will leave Colorado, other opportunities are already taking shape in the Centennial State.
The United States Space Force, the sixth and newest branch of the U.S. military, announced it would seek to build a new operations center at Schriever Space Force Base (SFB), near Colorado Springs in El Paso County.
It is one of four new facilities proposed in the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2027 (FY27) budget.
The $250 million Space Force Operations Center would support 2,500 civilian jobs and would be an essential component of the Golden Dome for America and other space-based reconnaissance efforts, serving as an all-domain command and control.
The Space Force is also set to move its infrastructure program acquisition executive office to Peterson Space Force Base, also in Colorado Springs, which could expand the base’s officer training program. It could grow the course from 600 to 1,800 according to Rep. Jeff Crank (R-Colo.).
“Over half of all Space Force Guardians live in the Pikes Peak Region,” said Rep. Crank. “As the Space Force continues to grow, so will our community. I’m grateful to President Trump, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and Secretary Meink for their continued commitment to El Paso County and delighted that the investments Secretary Meink announced today solidify that commitment for the long term. Colorado Springs is proud to have been a strong partner of the Department of the Air Force for over eight decades, and I’m confident that our best days are still ahead.”
Lone Star State Sees Shipyard Expansion
This week also saw Davie Defense break ground on its massive modernization of Gulf Copper’s shipyard facilities in Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas.
“This historic milestone and investment in America’s maritime industrial base also mark the return of complex shipbuilding to Texas for the first time in decades,” the shipbuilder announced, adding that the first phase of the planned shipyard upgrade is now scheduled for completion in 2028.
It marks the beginning of what could reach a $1 billion investment aimed at rebuilding the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base, and support the construction of the United States Coast Guard’s next-generation Arctic icebreakers. The first two of a planned five Arctic Security Cutters (ASC) will be built at the Davie Defense affiliate Helsinki Shipyard in Finland, with delivery of the first ship in 2028.
Work will then transition to the facility in Texas.
According to the company, the Gulf Copper project could create upwards of 2,400 new jobs, with broader statewide economic impact estimated to support approximately 7,000 jobs through the supply chain, according to Austin-based Impact Data Source.
“America cannot restore maritime strength without rebuilding its industrial capability,” said Philip Burns-O’Brien, president and CEO of Davie Defense & Gulf Copper. “Gulf Copper is more than a facility investment, it is part of the broader vision to revive U.S. shipbuilding capacity as strategic competition increases. Texas has the industrial foundation, talent and ambition to lead this renaissance.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott praised the project, the first complex shipbuilding program undertaken in the Lone Star State in decades, and he described it as a “quintessential America First project” that will address the U.S. military’s need for more ships.
“Texas is ground zero for the revitalization of the American shipbuilding industry,” said Governor Greg Abbott. “Davie Defense’s significant investment in this expanded shipbuilding facility will bring more advanced defense manufacturing to our great state, create thousands of good-paying jobs, and enhance America’s maritime security. Now more than ever, Texas will play a key role in keeping the American homeland safe. Our globally recognized business climate and top-tier workforce provide the foundation for Davie Defense to build a fleet that will ensure the United States and its allies are more secure than ever.”
