Defense Tech Company Plans $60M Investment In Georgia, But Taxpayer Contribution Is Unknown

By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor, The Center Square Georgia

July 22, 2022

(The Center Square) — A defense technology company plans to invest $60 million in a new manufacturing and research facility in Fulton County.

California-based Anduril Industries plans to create more than 180 new jobs in Atlanta over the next three years. However, Jessica Atwell, a Georgia Department of Economic Development communications specialist, declined to divulge whether taxpayers footed the bill for any incentives, saying the project remains active.

"Our region has a long and proud history in the aerospace and defense sector, and Anduril will benefit from the innovative cluster of software-, hardware- and engineering-driven businesses in the heart of metro Atlanta," Metro Atlanta Chamber President and CEO Katie Kirkpatrick said in an announcement.

The company is transforming more than 180,000 square feet in a pair of industrial buildings on Hills Place Northwest in Atlanta into a mixed-use office, manufacturing, production, research and development space.

The location will be home to Area-I, a Georgia-based manufacturer of advanced unmanned aircraft systems that Anduril Industries acquired last year. Area-I operates as a wholly owned subsidiary.

According to Georgia officials, "aerospace products are Georgia’s top export and The Peach State’s second largest manufacturing industry." In an announcement, Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson called Anduril Industries "a fantastic fit for Georgia’s aerospace and advanced manufacturing ecosystems."

The focus of the work of The Center Square Georgia is state and local-level government and economic reporting that approaches stories with a taxpayer sensibility.