BAE Systems is collaborating with Hanwha Defense USA to upgrade a building at the US Army’s Radford Army Ammunition Plant.
Located in Virginia, the factory is among the US Department of Defense’s facilities that manufacture explosives and propellants for missiles, tanks, air defense, artillery, and naval weapons.
It was inaugurated in the 1940s to support efforts in Europe and the Asia Pacific during World War II. Parts of the site were reconstructed a decade later to produce cast propellent charges and additional warheads for the Korean War, and later the Vietnam War.
“BAE Systems is fully committed to modernizing the Radford Army Ammunition Plant and furthering its support of the US Army’s requirements,” BAE Systems Ordnance Systems Inc. VP John Swift stated.
“We are excited to collaborate with Hanwha Defense USA, as they will use their proven expertise to help us integrate advanced chemical processing capabilities into a manufacturing environment.”
Throughout the project, the consortium will leverage the expertise and solutions that Hanwha has gained for energetic capabilities in South Korea.
“We look forward to implementing this upgrade at Radford and expanding our modernization collaboration with BAE Systems and the Army,” Hanwha Defense USA President and CEO John Kelly said.
Supporting GOCO Facilities
The Radford Army Ammunition Plant is among Washington’s government-owned contractor-operated (GOCO) centers, which require upgrades and maintenance due to their old age.
In 2012, the government selected BAE Systems as the Radford plant’s operating contractor. The framework covered facilities situated in Pulaski and Montgomery counties and another between the Town of Blacksburg and the City of Radford.
The army wrote that the factory is one of six operating GOCO ammunition plants to date.
In December 2023, BAE signed a contract to operate another ammo facility in Kingsport, Tennessee, through 2035.
