Anduril wins up to $2.9B Navy submarine contract after Luckey Pentagon role

Anduril has secured a contract worth up to $2.9 billion from the U.S. Navy to support submarine production. The award came days after co-founder Palmer Luckey joined a Pentagon task force on future weapons.

Anduril commits $3.7 billion to new Maryland shipyard. The company will build a 2 million-square-foot facility at Sparrows Point outside Baltimore. Operations are slated to begin in 2030 and create about 3,100 jobs.

Some components, including torpedo tubes, will be manufactured at a separate 160,000-square-foot site in Orange County, California. The shipyard will focus on parts for the Virginia-class submarine program.

Contract targets increased submarine output. Anduril President and Chief Strategy Officer Chris Brose said the work addresses national requirements to produce more submarines. The company aims to become a larger part of the supply chain for lead builders General Dynamics Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls Industries.

Luckey joins Project Meridian task force. The Pentagon named Luckey to the new initiative, which also includes former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. The group will identify capabilities for future U.S. conflicts.

Defense tech firms expand shipbuilding role. Anduril, known for autonomous drones, is moving into conventional submarine components. General Dynamics received a $76.6 billion Navy award this summer to build submarines.