Rajant is expanding a Kentucky manufacturing site to increase US production of autonomous defense systems and AI-enabled drones.
Rajant is expanding a Kentucky manufacturing site to increase US production of autonomous defense systems and AI-enabled drones.
The company announced plans to grow its Kentucky Defense Manufacturing Innovation Hub in Morehead, where it intends to scale production capacity for drones, motors, and aerospace systems tied to defense programs.
Phase one of the project is already underway inside Rajant’s existing 48,000-square-foot (4,459-square-meter) facility. Under the broader plan, the company aims to expand the site to roughly 148,000 square feet (13,749 square meters) of automated manufacturing space focused on defense and aerospace production.
Rajant said the upgraded campus will support production of its Flying Cowbell first-person view drone systems and Unibell brushless motors.
Plans also include a 2,000-square-foot (185-square-meter) clean room designed for future aerospace and satellite assembly work.
Rajant said the Kentucky expansion is expected to create between 85 and 100 advanced manufacturing and aerospace jobs. The company is also partnering with Morehead State University and the Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics to support workforce development programs tied to engineering and autonomous systems.
Rajant COO Diana Logue described the move as a “long-term investment in sovereign American capability.”
“We can no longer afford to depend on constrained supply chains and adversarial timelines,” she said.
Expanding US Defense Manufacturing
Rajant’s Kentucky expansion follows a wider industry push to increase US-based manufacturing capacity for defense systems and autonomous platforms.
In May, Motorola Solutions announced a $100-million investment to expand production of tactical communications systems from subsidiary Silvus Technologies. The effort centers on a new manufacturing facility in Salt Lake City, Utah, aimed at scaling production of StreamCaster mobile ad hoc network radios used by military units.
In March, HII announced plans to open a new assembly center in Louisiana to support production of its Romulus unmanned surface vessel family.
That same month, Karman Space & Defense unveiled a new manufacturing facility in Utah to boost output of unmanned aerial system launcher systems and solid rocket motor composite nozzles used in missiles and loitering munitions.
