US firm gets $2.9bn sub deal after boss joins war study with Musk

Anduril said it would invest $3.7bn to develop shipyard that would build submarine parts.

US navy officers stand guard aboard Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS Minnesota (SSN-783), docked in Australia in 2025 [File: Colin Murty/Getty Images]

Defence technology firm Anduril said it will invest $3.7bn to develop a new shipyard in the US state of Maryland and will build critical components for the United States Navy’s Virginia-class submarines, as Washington seeks to bolster its maritime defence capabilities.

California-based Anduril Industries confirmed on Tuesday it would invest in the submarine production plant, dubbed Arsenal-2, and will receive a $2.9bn US navy contract to manufacture submarine parts.

list 1 of 3 US delivers F-16V fighter jets to Taiwan as island eyes threat from China

list 2 of 3 New aircraft carrier, 10,000 US troops: Is the Iran war about to escalate?

list 3 of 3 US pulls bombers from UK base: Is Iran manoeuvring Trump’s war plans?

US President Donald Trump was set to unveil the project and announce a massive naval shipyard expansion in Baltimore, Maryland, on Tuesday afternoon.

Anduril is a defence technology firm whose co-founder, Palmer Luckey, is heading a new Defense Department project alongside technology billionaire and former top Trump adviser Elon Musk. Luckey and Musk were tapped by the Pentagon to lead Project Meridian, a newly-disclosed initiative focused on the future of warfare, including autonomous, AI-powered and maritime military capabilities.

Valued at nearly $117bn, Anduril specialises in uncrewed underwater vehicles and ocean vessels – or naval drones – designed for the US military and its allies.

The initiative was announced at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s State of the Force address last week in Virginia, part of a 120-day study aimed at identifying new technology needed for next-generation US battlefield supremacy.

The investment is the latest in a series of broader steps by the Pentagon to accelerate naval shipbuilding and weapons production, spurred by the war on Iran and other regional conflicts that continue to threaten global oil traffic while highlighting the critical role of maritime power.

Anduril, founded in 2017 by Luckey, is best known for its military autonomous systems, drones ‌‌and software.

The startup has, however, expanded beyond drones into maritime and undersea systems, as well as command-and-control software designed to connect military ‌‌sensors, ‌‌weapons and other systems.

The Maryland facility will manufacture torpedo tubes and larger hull components for the US navy’s upgraded Virginia-class fast attack submarines, which the navy is renovating to carry up to 40 Tomahawk missiles each.

While nuclear-powered, the warships are not part of the US’s strategic nuclear deterrent system.

The facility is expected to generate 3,100 jobs while supporting over 11,000 indirect roles.

The navy currently operates 26 Virginia-class fast-attack boats, with two more slated for delivery in 2027. According to reports released by the Department of Defense and navy officials, American shipyards have been struggling to meet the Pentagon’s target production rate of two new boats per year due to persistent supply chain disruptions and labour shortages.

Official disclosures confirm the delivery rate has stalled at just 1.1 to 1.2 submarines annually.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Anduril President Chris Brose said the “main focus” of the new yard was prioritising component manufacturing for the Virginia-class submarines rather than developing any new drone platforms.

“It’s really the government buying the results of what we’re able to produce from the facility ⁠⁠that we’ve invested in,” he said.

Anduril公司表示，将投资37亿美元开发造船厂，用于制造潜艇部件。

2025年，美国海军军官在停靠在澳大利亚的弗吉尼亚级快速攻击潜艇“明尼苏达”号（SSN-783）上站岗。[图片：Colin Murty/Getty Images]

国防科技公司 Anduril 表示，将投资 37 亿美元在美国马里兰州开发一个新的造船厂，并为美国海军的弗吉尼亚级潜艇建造关键部件，以加强华盛顿的海上防御能力。

总部位于加利福尼亚州的安杜里尔工业公司周二证实，该公司将投资建设名为“阿森纳-2”的潜艇生产厂，并将获得一份价值 29 亿美元的美国海军合同，用于制造潜艇部件。

美国向台湾交付F-16V战斗机（共3条，第1条），台湾正密切关注来自中国的威胁

列表 2/3 新型航空母舰，10,000 名美军士兵：伊朗战争即将升级吗？

3/3 美国从英国基地撤出轰炸机：伊朗是否在操纵特朗普的战争计划？

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普原定于周二下午在马里兰州巴尔的摩市公布该项目，并宣布一项大规模的海军造船厂扩建计划。

Anduril是一家国防科技公司，其联合创始人帕尔默·拉基(Palmer Luckey)正与科技亿万富翁、前特朗普高级顾问埃隆·马斯克(Elon Musk)共同领导一项新的国防部项目。五角大楼委任拉基和马斯克领导“子午线计划”(Project Meridian)，这是一项新近披露的计划，专注于未来战争，包括自主作战、人工智能驱动和海上军事能力。

Anduril 公司估值近 1170 亿美元，专门为美国军方及其盟友设计无人水下航行器和海洋舰艇（或称海军无人机）。

这项计划是在国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯上周在弗吉尼亚州发表的部队状况报告中宣布的，这是为期 120 天的研究的一部分，旨在确定下一代美国战场优势所需的新技术。

这项投资是五角大楼为加快海军造船和武器生产而采取的一系列更广泛举措中的最新一项，这些举措的起因是伊朗战争和其他地区冲突，这些冲突持续威胁着全球石油运输，同时也凸显了海上力量的关键作用。

Anduril 由 Luckey 于 2017 年创立，以其军事自主系统、无人机和软件而闻名。

然而，这家初创公司已经从无人机扩展到海上和水下系统，以及旨在连接军事传感器、武器和其他系统的指挥控制软件。

马里兰州的这家工厂将为美国海军升级后的弗吉尼亚级快速攻击潜艇制造鱼雷发射管和更大的船体部件，海军正在对这些潜艇进行改造，使其每艘最多可携带 40 枚战斧导弹。

虽然这些军舰采用核动力，但它们并不属于美国的战略核威慑体系。

该设施预计将创造 3100 个就业岗位，同时间接支持超过 11000 个就业岗位。

美国海军目前拥有26艘弗吉尼亚级快速攻击艇，另有两艘计划于2027年交付。据国防部和海军官员发布的报告显示，由于持续的供应链中断和劳动力短缺，美国造船厂一直难以达到五角大楼每年建造两艘新艇的目标产量。

官方披露的信息证实，潜艇交付速度已经停滞不前，每年仅交付 1.1 至 1.2 艘。

安杜里尔造船厂总裁克里斯·布罗斯周二对记者表示，新船厂的“主要重点”是优先为弗吉尼亚级潜艇制造零部件，而不是开发任何新的无人机平台。

他说：“这实际上是政府在购买我们投资的工厂所生产的产品成果。”