The McAlester Army Ammunition Plant (MCAAP) in Oklahoma is adapting its munitions production to support modern drone warfare through a new partnership with Perennial Autonomy.
The partnership will see the facility manufacture, load, and deliver explosive payloads for the company’s unmanned aircraft. The arrangement pairs MCAAP’s ammunition production capabilities with the company’s drone guidance systems.
The initiative is part of the Army Materiel Command’s effort to modernize the Organic Industrial Base, a network of government-owned depots, arsenals, and ammunition plants that supports military equipment and munitions production.
MCAAP has traditionally handled conventional ammunition, including manufacturing, storing, shipping, renovating, and demilitarizing munitions.
The deal could also help sustain the installation by offsetting operating costs, supporting infrastructure improvements, and retaining specialized workers, including chemists, ammunition assembly specialists, and quality inspectors.
“This collaboration acts as a critical force multiplier, ensuring that next-generation drone fleets are armed with the precise, lethal and dependable capabilities required to dominate modern, high-threat environments,” MCAAP civilian deputy Brian Lott said.
US Expands Domestic Drone Manufacturing
McAlester’s shift is part of a broader US effort to expand domestic production of unmanned aircraft and their components.
In Pennsylvania, Tobyhanna Army Depot opened a brushless motor assembly line in June to produce components for small uncrewed aircraft. The depot said the facility could produce up to 500,000 motors annually, helping build a domestic supply chain for small drones.
In July, Kratos expanded its Oklahoma City manufacturing campus, adding more than 100,000 square feet (9,290 square meters) of production space for jet-powered drones, including its Valkyrie collaborative combat aircraft and Firejet.
Earlier, in March, Anduril Industries announced plans to expand drone production at its Arsenal-1 facility in Columbus, Ohio. The factory is intended to manufacture multiple autonomous defense systems, including the YFQ-44A Fury, a drone developed for the US Air Force’s collaborative combat aircraft program.
