Overview
- Hanwha Defense USA proposes a roughly $1.3 billion investment to construct a facility that would produce critical ingredients for explosives and propellants.
- The project is expected to create about 200 skilled jobs and bolster domestic supplies for munitions including 155mm artillery shells.
- The Army is using its Enhanced Use Lease program to convert underutilized installation property, with potential lease proceeds reinvested in infrastructure.
- Company officials say the plant would address supply-chain gaps and improve munitions performance, including speed and range.
- Arkansas leaders, including Sens. Tom Cotton and John Boozman and Rep. Bruce Westerman, praised the move, highlighting Pine Bluff Arsenal’s long-standing role and unique capabilities such as white-phosphorus filling.