ODON – Indiana Governor Mike Braun participated in a groundbreaking for the latest expansion of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS) in Daviess County in September that will deliver two new facilities to advance the company’s defense capabilities and innovation while contributing to the long-term growth of Indiana’s defense ecosystem.
“Indiana’s defense sector is growing at record pace, attracting new investment, jobs and critical installations to power the warfighter,” said Gov. Braun. “Kratos first broke ground in Indiana less than two years ago, and the company’s decision to expand yet again is a testament to our robust defense industry and the strength and skill of our workforce. We look forward to supporting Kratos in this growth and supporting US defense innovation and national security.”
Kratos, a technology company in defense, national security, and global markets, is constructing its new Helios and AN/SPY-1 facilities at its Odon campus, reinforcing the company’s commitment to supporting the U.S. Department of War and its mission partners. The new footprint will feature two distinct, purpose-built complexes:
- AN/SPY-1, also referred to as the Indiana Radar Integration Complex (IRIC): An approximately 183,000-square-foot SPY-1 facility designed to establish a long-term organic capability for the repair, testing, integration, and sustainment of the Navy’s AN/SPY-1 radar system. IRIS will provide a scalable infrastructure and workforce foundation to support legacy and next-generation radar systems.
- The Helios Arc Jet & Laser Facility: The facility will address current critical gaps in U.S. Defense Industrial Base capabilities by providing essential testing infrastructure for thermal protection systems used in hypersonic vehicles. This capability will complement and enhance the national testing infrastructure, supporting all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and the Department of War and bridging the gap between low-fidelity screening solutions available across both industry and academia and the exquisite, large-scale arc jet facilities at government testing sites. Combining a 20-25 MW arc jet capability with a 200-kW fiber laser system, this innovative facility is expected to dramatically increase opportunities for material evaluation in support of both hypersonic and strategic national defense efforts.
“Kratos is making deliberate internal investments to rapidly develop and field advanced capabilities our warfighters require against peer adversaries,” said Eric DeMarco, President and CEO of Kratos. “The new IRIC and HELIOS facilities are prime examples of how we approach commercial investment in national security to be first to market with proven, cost-effective capabilities. We are proud to expand our partnership with the state of Indiana to deliver real, mission-relevant products and systems, ensuring that our military has the national security-relevant hardware it needs to decisively execute its missions.”
This groundbreaking marks Kratos’ latest investment in Indiana, following its $50 million state-of-the-art hypersonic systems payload integration facility, which was completed in July of this year to accelerate the development and deployment of next-generation hypersonic technologies and create more than 100 high-tech jobs.
“Indiana is uniquely positioned to support US defense and national security efforts thanks to our industry assets like NSWC Crane and our robust private sector,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Chuck Goodrich. “Kratos’ continued growth here in Indiana will not only create new, high-wage career opportunities, but it will advance the industry to new heights, strengthening the Hoosier state as a prime destination for defense.”
Kratos is part of a robust and growing defense sector in Indiana, which was marked $2.5 billion in committed capital investment by defense companies since 2020 and has achieved a 24% increase in defense contracts during that same period. The state is home to the Midwest UAS Test Site, providing a real-world environment where unmanned systems are tested in active airspace with the speed and access needed to move from concept to capability, and was recently selected by the Department of War for an advanced nuclear Micro Modular Reactor (MMR) at Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Crane.
