Defense Business Brief: AI manufacturing; Skilled trades; Arms transfer oversight

Defense Business Brief

Could AI- and robot-made missile components and airframes be the future of aerospace manufacturing? That’s the bet, Machina Labs CEO Edward Mehr said.

The Los Angeles-based company plans to break ground on its third manufacturing facility this year, Mehr told Defense One at the Space and Missile Defense Conference last month .

That facility, which hasn’t been named yet, is expected to be up to 250,000 square feet—more than double the size of Machina Labs’ two existing facilities.

The company builds large metal structures like airframes and drone bodies using AI and robotics with less specialized tooling and equipment.

“If you think about traditional metal structure manufacturers in defense, they have to go build a very custom factory for every product they want to deploy. There [are] facilitization costs that go for each product and then there's a lead time associated with that. For us, the same factory that makes, let's say, [ Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile ] fuel tanks, can switch and make UAV airframes.”

Last year, Machina Labs raised $124 million in a Series C round, much of which will be used for that third facility: “This year—and next—is about focus, about scale,” he said.

The company, which has Toyota, Nvidia, and Lockheed Martin as investors, plans to significantly increase production of its manufacturing system , RoboCraftsman.

“Today, we manufacture five of these manufacturing systems a year. We're ramping that up,” he said.

Several of those systems are slated to outfit Machina Labs’ upcoming facility, which will produce cruise missile products. The company has not yet announced where it will be located.

“As long as you have a ground that can hold the system, they can be shipped to it, they open up, you connect them to power, and within the same day, they self-calibrate and start manufacturing,” Mehr said.

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Help needed: Natsec’s skilled trade crisis. For more than a generation, the rhetoric and overall advice for young adults mulling their future was to go to college, get a four-year degree, maybe learn to code, and land an office job—or at least one that is secure and not too dangerous. But that societal rhetoric may have helped fuel a dearth of skilled trade and craft workers, lawmakers and government officials argued during a pre-Labor Day hearing .

“We assume that critical manufacturing inputs such as minerals, sub tier suppliers, [and] skilled labor will always be available. This assumption is false,” Rep. Ken Calvert, who chairs the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, said during opening remarks for a Sept. 4 field hearing on the industrial base. “According to the American Welding Society, approximately 20 percent of the welding force are approaching retirement and in 2025 they estimated the need for 320,000 new welders by 2029. These estimates are prior to the data center boom, which relies heavily on welders and fabrication.”

The Pentagon’s head of industrial base policy Michael Cadenazzi echoed those sentiments in written testimony : “Decades of government policy and societal pressure have driven millions of talented young Americans towards degrees which haven’t delivered the benefits they were promised and have left defense manufacturers with few skilled workers waiting in the wings. There are as many as 400,000 unfilled skilled trades jobs in the DIB today, and that number could grow to 2.5 million by 2030.”

“Decades of government policy and societal pressure have driven millions of talented young Americans towards degrees which haven’t delivered the benefits they were promised and have left defense manufacturers with few skilled workers waiting in the wings. There are as many as 400,000 unfilled skilled trades jobs in the DIB today, and that number could grow to 2.5 million by 2030.”

Cadenazzi also highlighted the Pentagon’s award of a $10 million grant to BuildFreedom.us , which aims to bolster the skilled workforce by linking jobseekers with scholarships, apprenticeship programs, and “AI-proof jobs”. “We’ve now rolled out Build Freedom in three states, with plans to expand the program nationwide. This national awareness will drive individuals to our new Buildfreedom.US website, a one-stop shop where their interest can be converted into scholarships, training, credentials, and job opportunities,” he said of the effort, which was launched in partnership with the National Labor Exchange , Mike Rowe of “Dirty Jobs” reality TV fame, and his mikeroweWORKS Foundation . That $10 million grant will pay for more than 9,000 scholarships, Cadenazzi said.

“We’ve now rolled out Build Freedom in three states, with plans to expand the program nationwide. This national awareness will drive individuals to our new Buildfreedom.US website, a one-stop shop where their interest can be converted into scholarships, training, credentials, and job opportunities,” he said of the effort, which was launched in partnership with the National Labor Exchange , Mike Rowe of “Dirty Jobs” reality TV fame, and his mikeroweWORKS Foundation .

That $10 million grant will pay for more than 9,000 scholarships, Cadenazzi said.

Improving oversight of mishandled defense articles abroad. When the U.S. provides security assistance, the State Department is in charge of investigating incidents in which U.S. allies and partners fail to properly secure or transfer defense articles—from weapons to components or technical data. But the department's “investigations, documentation and reporting on potential violations were inconsistent,” the Government Accountability Office wrote in a letter that was publicly released on Sept. 8.

The watchdog agency made those concerns, which appeared in a 2025 report , a “high priority” issue for the State Department.

“We recommended [the State Department] document the status and findings of its investigations and develop guidance for determining when to report an incident to Congress. Doing so could inform congressional oversight of future assistance,” the letter states.

Making moves + other news

The Army picked Boeing and Anduril for its Integrated Fires Protection Capability (IFPC) Increment 2 Second Interceptor.

Allen Control Systems is beefing up its manufacturing capacity with a new 191,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas. The facility will churn out the company’s signature robotic turret .

Kongsberg selected Echodyne to provide radars for its counter-UAS system.

Former NGA Director Frank Whitworth is now president of Satellogic , a geospatial data company. Whitworth will lead the company’s operations and direct strategy for its defense and intelligence products.

The Navy and MARTAC demonstrated refueling of autonomous vessels at sea.

Ex-Pentagon weapons buyer Ellen Lord joined Chariot Defense ’s advisory board with two former Army generals, James Rainey , who led Army Futures Command, and Samuel Peterson , the Army’s former buyer for combat support and sustainment portfolio. Defense investor Stephen Rodriguez also joined the board.

A final stray thought: BuildFreedom.us rings very similar to BuildSubmarines.com . Coincidence ? Perhaps .

NEXT STORY: Back to life: How Shield AI’s future unmanned fighter made decades-old tech new again

国防商业简报

人工智能和机器人制造的导弹部件和机身会是航空航天制造业的未来吗？Machina Labs 首席执行官 Edward Mehr 表示，他们对此充满信心。

梅尔上个月在太空和导弹防御会议上告诉《防务一号》杂志，这家总部位于洛杉矶的公司计划今年破土动工建设其第三个制造工厂。

该设施尚未命名，预计面积将达 25 万平方英尺——是 Machina Labs 现有两处设施面积的两倍多。

该公司利用人工智能和机器人技术，以较少的专业工具和设备，制造飞机机身和无人机机身等大型金属结构。

“想想国防领域的传统金属结构制造商，他们必须为每一种想要部署的产品建造一座高度定制化的工厂。每种产品都有相应的配套成本，而且还需要一定的生产周期。而对我们来说，同一家工厂，比如生产联合空对地防区外导弹燃料箱的工厂，也可以转而生产无人机机身。”

去年，Machina Labs 在 C 轮融资中筹集了 1.24 亿美元，其中大部分将用于建设第三个工厂：“今年和明年，我们将专注于规模化发展，”他说。

该公司拥有丰田、英伟达和洛克希德·马丁等投资者，计划大幅提高其制造系统 RoboCraftsman 的产量。

“目前，我们每年生产五套这样的制造系统。我们正在提高产量，”他说。

这些系统中的几套将用于装备 Machina Labs 即将建成的巡航导弹生产厂。该公司尚未公布工厂的具体位置。

“只要有能容纳该系统的地面，就可以将它们运送到那里，打开包装，接上电源，当天它们就能自动校准并开始生产，”梅尔说。

欢迎来到《国防商业简报》，在这里我们将深入探讨五角大楼的采购内容、采购供应商以及采购原因。欢迎将您的建议、反馈和歌曲推荐发送至 lwilliams@defenseone.com。点击此处查看《国防商业简报》往期内容，并邀请您的朋友订阅！

亟需帮助：国家安全局（Natsec）的技能型人才危机。在过去几十年里，对于正在规划未来的年轻人，普遍的观念和建议是：上大学，拿到四年制学位，或许可以学习编程，然后找一份办公室工作——或者至少是一份稳定且不太危险的工作。但在劳动节前的一次听证会上，立法者和政府官员指出，这种社会观念可能加剧了技能型人才的短缺。

“我们总是想当然地认为，矿产、二级供应商和熟练劳动力等关键制造投入要素会一直供应充足。这种假设是错误的。”众议院拨款委员会国防小组委员会主席肯·卡尔弗特议员在9月4日举行的工业基础实地听证会开幕致辞中说道。“据美国焊接协会统计，大约20%的焊工即将退休，他们预计到2029年将需要32万名新焊工。这些预测还未计入数据中心蓬勃发展之前的情况，而数据中心的发展对焊工和制造工艺有着巨大的依赖。”

五角大楼工业基础政策负责人迈克尔·卡德纳齐在书面证词中也表达了类似的观点：“数十年的政府政策和社会压力迫使数百万才华横溢的美国青年攻读学位，但这些学位并未带来他们所期望的收益，导致国防制造商缺乏熟练工人。目​​前国防工业基地（DIB）有多达40万个技术工种空缺，到2030年，这一数字可能增长到250万。”

“数十年的政府政策和社会压力迫使数百万才华横溢的美国年轻人攻读学位，但这些学位并未带来他们所期望的收益，也导致国防制造商缺乏熟练工人。目​​前国防工业基地（DIB）有多达40万个技术工种空缺，到2030年，这一数字可能增长到250万。”

卡德纳齐还重点介绍了五角大楼向BuildFreedom.us提供的1000万美元拨款。该项目旨在通过将求职者与奖学金、学徒计划和“不受人工智能影响的工作”联系起来，来增强技能型劳动力。“我们目前已在三个州推出了BuildFreedom项目，并计划将其推广至全国。这种全国性的宣传将引导人们访问我们全新的BuildFreedom.us网站，这是一个一站式平台，在这里，他们的兴趣可以转化为奖学金、培训、资格认证和就业机会。”他谈到这项与国家劳工交易所、真人秀节目《肮脏的工作》的主持人迈克·罗及其mikeroweWORKS基金会合作推出的项目时说道。卡德纳齐表示，这1000万美元的拨款将用于资助9000多个奖学金名额。

“我们目前已在三个州推出了‘建设自由’项目，并计划将该项目推广至全国。这种全国性的宣传将引导人们访问我们新的Buildfreedom.US网站，这是一个一站式平台，他们的兴趣可以转化为奖学金、培训、证书和工作机会，”他谈到这项与国家劳工交易所、真人秀节目“肮脏的工作”的主持人迈克·罗及其mikeroweWORKS基金会合作推出的项目时说道。

卡德纳齐表示，这笔 1000 万美元的拨款将用于支付 9000 多个奖学金名额。

加强对海外国防物资处理不当的监管。当美国提供安全援助时，国务院负责调查美国盟友和伙伴未能妥善保管或转移国防物资（包括武器、零部件或技术数据）的事件。但美国政府问责局在9月8日公开发布的一封信函中指出，国务院“对潜在违规行为的调查、记录和报告前后不一致”。

监督机构将2025年报告中提出的这些问题列为国务院的“高度优先”事项。

信中写道：“我们建议（国务院）记录其调查的进展和结果，并制定指导方针，以确定何时向国会报告事件。这样做可以为国会监督未来的援助提供信息。”

最新动态 + 其他新闻

陆军选择波音公司和安杜里尔公司为其综合火力防护能力（IFPC）第二阶段拦截器提供解决方案。

艾伦控制系统公司正在德克萨斯州奥斯汀新建一座占地19.1万平方英尺的制造工厂，以提升其生产能力。该工厂将生产该公司标志性的机器人转塔。

Kongsberg 选择 Echodyne 为其反无人机系统提供雷达。

美国国家地理空间情报局前局长弗兰克·惠特沃斯现任地理空间数据公司Satellogic总裁。惠特沃斯将领导该公司的运营，并指导其国防和情报产品的战略。

海军和海上战术司令部演示了海上自主舰艇的加油技术。

前五角大楼武器采购员艾伦·洛德加入了战车防务公司的顾问委员会，与她一同加入的还有两位前陆军将领：曾任陆军未来司令部司令的詹姆斯·雷尼和曾任陆军作战支援与保障组合采购员的塞缪尔·彼得森。国防投资者斯蒂芬·罗德里格斯也加入了该委员会。

最后还有一个零星的想法：BuildFreedom.us 的发音与 BuildSubmarines.com 非常相似。是巧合吗？也许是吧。

下一篇报道：重获新生：Shield AI的未来无人战斗机如何让数十年前的技术焕发新生