155mm rounds ready to loaded. The Army on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, opened a new artillery production facility in Arkansas, which will produce roughly half the service’s 155mm artillery shells. (U.S. Army)
The Army and General Dynamics on Tuesday opened a new artillery production facility in Arkansas, which will produce roughly half the service’s 155mm artillery shells once it is fully operational, according to service officials.
The new load, assemble and pack facility in Camden is expected to produce some 50,000 shells per month, according to the Army. Service officials since 2022 have sought to boost production of the Army’s 155mm artillery shells to 100,000 per month as it sent millions of rounds to Ukraine to bolster that nation’s defenses against Russian military invaders.
In a statement Tuesday, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll made no mention of the efforts to support Ukraine’s defense, but he said the new plant would be critical in ensuring U.S. troops are outfitted with the best “war-winning capabilities.”
“The Camden load, assembly, and pack munitions facility is just one of several modernization investments the Army is making to reinforce and strengthen our defense industrial base,” Driscoll said. “The Army remains committed to delivering relevant munitions at speed and scale to our soldiers, the joint force, and allies and partners. It is not lost on us that a key component of victory on the battlefield starts in our production facilities.”
Army officials had previously said the service could produce some 15,000 155mm shells on its production lines before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. It has since quadrupled its 155mm shell production, officials said Tuesday.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine set off a massive effort by the U.S. military and NATO allies to arm Kiev’s military. The Pentagon sent Ukraine some 200 155mm Howitzers and more than 3 million 155mm rounds since the start of the war, according to State Department data from January. Since President Donald Trump’s return to the White House that month, the Pentagon has scaled back its support of Ukraine, as the United States sought to broker a peace deal between the countries. So far, that effort has failed to accomplish a lasting cease fire.
Army officials under former President Joe Biden said the Ukraine-arming efforts unveiled major problems in the service’s supply lines, including single sources of some 155mm parts that slowed its ability to ramp up production. The new efforts included moving shell production from a single facility to four separate facilities this year.
The Camden, Ark., facility opened Tuesday will be a final assembly plant, where 155mm metal projectile bodies will be filled with explosive materials, assembled and packed for shipment, according to the Army.
General Dynamics said the new facility would use the latest technology including advanced air-cooling systems that “improve the quality and efficiency of the 155mm artillery” load, assemble and pack process and produce reduced hazardous waste. Army officials said the facility will also use “advanced automation and digital quality tracking” to ensure consistent production.
“Today is the result of a robust partnership between industry, local, state, and federal government teammates,” said Pat Mason, the Army’s acting top acquisition, logistics and technology official. “All parties worked quickly and flexibly to accelerate the construction.”
