Saab to Open Munitions Production Facility in Michigan

Swedish defense giant, Saab, announced plans to open a munitions production facility in Grayling, Michigan. The company intends to break ground by the end of this year with full-scale manufacturing slated to begin in 2026.

Long-Term Commitment to Local Community

In an official statement, Erik Smith, President and CEO of Saab in the U.S. remarked, “We are making a long-term commitment not only to the U.S. defense industrial base, but to the local community as well.” Highlighting Saab’s positive role in local economies through job creation and community investment, Smith expressed enthusiasm about the forthcoming integration into the Grayling community.

The Michigan site was selected from among six potential locations. Its proximity to the largest Army National Guard training base in the country and the availability of a skilled local workforce, especially for the kinds of production Saab is pursuing, contributed to Michigan being the chosen location.

Aiming to Quadruple Global Capacity

Saab’s Michigan facility is a key part of a broader global manufacturing push by the company aimed at quadrupling its worldwide capacity for producing ground combat weapons. The new facility is expected to create at least 70 jobs initially, with the potential for more as operations scale up.

The facility will specialize in advanced manufacturing and will also feature an innovation center to enhance stateside munitions production capacity, including components for the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) system and close combat weapons.

Michigan – A Legacy of Weapons Production

Michigan has a rich heritage of weapons production. Saab’s announcement adds to the state’s portfolio of defense manufacturers. “We built the arsenal of democracy to win WWII and will keep rolling up our sleeves to protect our national defense,” Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer noted in the company statement.

With this new facility, Saab will have ten operating sites in the U.S., including West Lafayette, Indiana for aerospace advanced manufacturing; Syracuse, New York for radar and sensor systems; and Cranston, Rhode Island and Quincy, Massachusetts, for autonomous and undersea systems.

Scaling Great Heights

According to Smith, the Michigan facility will follow a similar model to what Saab did with its West Lafayette site. There, Saab built the Indiana plant with high-end technology to produce the fuselages beginning with low-rate initial production. The success of that project provides a promising road map for the Michigan facility’s future.

This development underlines Saab’s commitment to expanding its global footprint and the United States’ continued role as a significant player in the defense industry.