Anduril taps Ohio forge for missile body components
The defense tech company signed a multi-year agreement with Ellwood Quality Steels for missile body extrusion blanks, its largest forging relationship to date.
Anduril Industries signed a multi-year supply agreement with Ellwood Quality Steels for high-strength steel and nickel alloy extrusion blanks used in missile body forgings. The deal is Anduril's largest single forging relationship and is tied to the company's Barracuda and Roadrunner programs.
Anduril's head of manufacturing said the agreement is structured to give the company priority scheduling at EQS's New Castle, Pennsylvania and Baltimore plants. Terms were not disclosed, but sources familiar said the arrangement includes a capacity reservation fee.
The deal is part of a broader trend in which defense startups are locking down dedicated industrial capacity rather than rely on pooled primes' supply arrangements. Ellwood said it will hire roughly 45 additional hourly workers across the two plants to support the contract.
Written by
Dana Whitfield
Aerospace and defense supply chain reporter. Previously at Aviation Week Network.
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