JAMES CITY — James City County will soon be home to a new missile manufacturing facility after beating out two other states for the project.
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace Inc., based in Norway, plans to invest $71 million to build a 150,000-square-foot facility in the county, creating about 180 new jobs. Construction is set to begin next year, with the facility anticipated to open by 2028.
Representatives from James City County, the Hampton Roads Alliance and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership made a joint announcement Tuesday at the country club of The Governor’s Land at Two Rivers. Those assembled included local, state and federal elected officials as well as members of the Kongsberg team.
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, founded in 1814, is a global technology company that supplies products to customers in the marine, defense, aerospace, offshore industries and renewable energy sectors. The James City County facility will produce two state-of-the-art cruise missiles for the U.S. Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. It will be Kongsberg’s first manufacturing facility in the United States, and the second such facility the company has announced, with another factory being built in Australia.
Kongsberg will invest $100 million, including $30 million in costs toward engineering and software, in the coming years to establish the facility in James City County. An exact location for the building has not been disclosed.
During Tuesday’s announcement, Doug Smith, president and CEO of the Hampton Roads Alliance, called Kongsberg a “fantastic fit for the Historic Triangle,” given the strong military presence in the community. There is potential for collaboration with the Naval Weapons Station at Yorktown.
More than one-third of the local economy supports the defense sector, with 18 military installations located in the region, Smith said.
“This will bring a tremendous amount of opportunity to Hampton Roads,” Smith said.
Geir Haoy, president and CEO of Kongsberg Gruppen ASA, noted that the U.S. has been an important security partner and customer of Kongsberg for years.
“We are fully committed to supporting the U.S. Armed Forces,” he said. “We are ready to build our presence in Virginia.”
Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs Craig Crenshaw said he considers Kongsberg coming to James City County a major coup for Virginia. He presented team members from Kongsberg with a Virginia state flag as a thank you for their investment and support. Virginia beat out two other states to secure the project.
“We are excited for what is to come,” Crenshaw said. “The commonwealth is in overdrive and we are hitting the accelerator to increase the momentum.”
Gov. Glenn Youngkin also issued a statement regarding Kongsberg’s announcement.
“Following our productive meetings in Europe, Kongsberg’s decision to establish its first U.S. defense assembly facility in Virginia reaffirms our status as America’s top state for business,” Youngkin said. “Not only will this investment create more than 180 new jobs, but it will also showcase our strategic location to attract global leaders in defense industries. We are proud to welcome them to the Commonwealth and look forward to supporting their growth.”
Brandy Centolanza, bcentolanza@cox.net
