Anduril Plans 3,100 Jobs at a Baltimore County Shipyard, Aiming to Start Hiring Its First Team in 2029

Anduril Industries plans Arsenal-2, a shipyard at Tradepoint Atlantic in Baltimore County, Maryland, that will create 3,100 direct jobs and support more than 11,000 indirect jobs, backed by a $3.7 billion private capital investment. Initial operations are expected to come online in 2030, and Anduril's goal is for hiring for the initial team to begin in 2029, so these are planned roles for now. For Metaintro readers, the useful part is what sits behind the headline number, covering the trades the yard is built around, what Anduril's Santa Ana maritime postings ask for and pay, and where Baltimore County workers can train before the hiring window opens. Here is that detail.

What Did Anduril Announce for Sparrows Point?

The shipyard was unveiled by Anduril and the White House, alongside the State of Maryland and Baltimore County on October 6, 2026. It will be a two million square-foot software-defined shipyard that will manufacture critical components for the Virginia-class submarine.

On top of the private capital, the U.S. Navy has awarded Anduril a contract of up to $2.9 billion, with payments tied directly to demonstrated production outcomes, and altogether this equates to a $6.6 billion investment in the submarine industrial base.

The facility will sit on a 187-acre site with a functional 1,200-foot graving dock and multimodal road and rail access. Its high-bay assembly halls and reconfigurable production lines are designed so the yard can shift rapidly as Navy requirements evolve.

Tradepoint Atlantic purchased the then-abandoned site in 2014 and has been turning it into a global logistics center, and the new facility will be in the general location of the old Bethlehem Steel shipyard.

How Many Jobs Are Planned, and Are Any Open Now?

The direct figure is 3,100 permanent jobs, part of a project expected to support over 14,000 jobs, including the creation of more than 3,100 new permanent jobs. Anduril's own figure for indirect work is that the yard will support more than 11,000 indirect jobs.

The project will become the largest single private investment in Maryland and the largest job creator in Maryland in over a decade, according to the Governor's office. The site is expected to drive $2 billion in annual economic output, including an estimated $312 million in wages each year.

None of these are open vacancies yet, since permitting and site preparation will begin immediately, with construction commencing as soon as the necessary approvals are in place, and production will scale progressively thereafter as Anduril builds the workforce and its supplier base. The 3,100 figure describes the yard once the project is realized, so it is a target for the finished project, not a count of open vacancies.

These will be fantastic jobs. Jobs people can build their futures around, Anduril chief strategy officer Chris Brose said, according to the WYPR report on the shipyard plan.

Which Trades Will the Shipyard Need?

The yard's software, ArsenalOS, will connect fabrication workflows, outfitting sequences, material movement, inspection protocols, and documentation requirements in a single system, and its digital tools will support the expertise of welders, pipefitters, electricians, shipfitters, inspectors, and other skilled trades.

Those tools include digital work instructions, embedded quality controls, modern sensing, and automation, and ArsenalOS will help new workers train faster while preserving the technical rigor, judgment, and quality required for submarine construction.

The yard will at first produce smaller parts of the submarine, like torpedo tubes, then work its way up to larger components, like their bows and sterns, and the submarines will be assembled elsewhere. The finished pieces go to Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding for final assembly, so the Maryland work is on complex components and large scale assemblies, not final assembly.

Across the wider industry, submarine manufacturing career paths include welding, CNC machining, non-destructive testing, metrology, planning, and blasting and spraying, though these are not Arsenal-2 roles.

What Do Anduril's Current Maritime Postings Ask For and Pay?

Anduril is already hiring maritime production staff in Santa Ana, California. These three postings, for a pipe fitter and welder, an electrician and a metal fabricator, do not name Arsenal-2 and are not Maryland jobs, but they show the skills and pay Anduril lists for its Santa Ana maritime roles.

• Pipe Fitter and Welder, Santa Ana. The Pipe Fitter/Welder posting lists a US salary range of $68,000 to $90,000. It requires a high school diploma or GED, 5+ years of pipefitting, welding, or related mechanical trade experience, the ability to read blueprints, isometrics, P&IDs and weld procedure specifications, and proficiency in GTAW (TIG) welding on pipe in multiple positions. Applicants also need experience with fit-up to tight tolerances on welded and brazed joints, the ability to pass weld qualification testing to applicable certifications, willingness to work any shift, overtime, and in all shop and field environments, and U.S. Person status as an ITAR requirement.
• Electrician, Santa Ana. The maritime production electrician posting lists a US hourly range of $53.85 to $71.63. It asks for a high school diploma or GED and 7+ years of electrical experience in industrial, shipboard, or manufacturing environments, plus the ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, single-line diagrams and cable schedules. The required list for this role also covers experience with 480V 3-phase and 208/240V single- and 3-phase systems, including installation, termination, and troubleshooting, experience pulling, routing, and terminating electrical cable, proficiency with wire harness fabrication (crimping, soldering, connector assembly), working knowledge of NEC for facility electrical installations, and experience using meggers, multimeters, hi-pot testers, and phase rotation meters. Applicants must be willing to work any shift and overtime as production requires, must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export controlled information or facilities, and must be eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.
• Precision Metal Fabricator, Santa Ana. The metal fabricator posting lists a US hourly range of $41.35 to $54.81. It asks for 8+ years' experience as a metal forming technician and proven experience in setting up and operating plate rolling machines to form cylinders, cones, and other curved shapes of various metal thicknesses (up to 4-6 inches). The same posting also asks for extensive experience in operating hydraulic press brakes for forming and bending, a high level of familiarity with various alloys and metals, knowledge of GD&T, and proficiency with precision measuring tools such as calipers, micrometers, protractors and tape measures. Applicants must be able to own the completion of an assigned manufacturing task from start to finish, flex between R&D fabrication and production tasks, jump in on production assembly integration tasks as needed, lift up to 50 lbs unassisted, and be eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.

Preferred skills on the pipe role include military shipbuilding, submarine construction, or naval shipyard experience and completion of an apprenticeship, vocational program, or UA journeyman pipefitter certification. There is no room for shortcuts on that work, and the piping systems will operate submerged, under pressure, for decades. The range on the pipe role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only, the same note appears on the electrician posting and the fabricator posting, and none of the three postings lists a Maryland location.

When Could Hiring in Maryland Start?

Permitting and site preparation will begin immediately, and Anduril's goal is to have initial operations up and running by 2030, with hiring for the initial team to begin in 2029.

In parallel with construction, Anduril will make Virginia-class components at a new 160,000-square-foot facility in Orange County, California, which gives it a two-year operational head start to develop and validate its manufacturing methods before Arsenal-2 comes online. That site will support work on critical maritime components, including torpedo tubes, while allowing Anduril to recruit and train the early workforce on the systems that will later scale in Maryland.

It is the same approach Anduril has used at Arsenal-1 in Ohio, building the workforce, processes and production system ahead of full-scale operations. For Maryland workers, the date to watch is Anduril's aim of hiring its initial team in 2029.

What Will the Yard Build, and Why Does the Navy Want It?

Shipbuilders were producing Virginia-class submarines at a rate of one per year as of June 2025, while the Navy wants two, a July Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found.

That report named late material deliveries from suppliers and limited availability of experienced workers due to competition in the labor market as the drivers, and the program has faced setbacks with a shortage of experienced workers and late delivery of materials, according to the same July GAO report.

A senior administration official said the plans would add roughly 9 million hours annually to the submarine industrial base, translating to a 15 percent increase for Virginia-class submarine production. The Navy's May shipbuilding plan put a near-term focus on stabilizing the supply chain and growing the skilled workforce needed until full production rates are achieved.

One of the two builders, Newport News Shipbuilding, said it welcomes Anduril as a future subcomponent partner in the work of accelerating submarine deliveries.

Where Can Baltimore Workers Train Before the Yard Opens?

The Maryland incentive package includes capital support for the construction of a Center of Excellence facility for workforce training at a to-be-determined site at or near Tradepoint Atlantic. Its location is not set, and the wider incentive package relies partly on new appropriations that will require approval of the Maryland General Assembly and Baltimore County Council.

Closer to hand, the Community College of Baltimore County is developing a planned Welding and Trades Center at its Dundalk campus. The college announced in September 2025 a $1 million grant to establish a new 12,000-square-foot Welding Training Center on its Dundalk campus, and, as of that release, its continuing education school offers American Welding Society-certified training through a partnership with Earlbeck Gases and Technologies.

The September 2025 release said the first cohort of students is anticipated to begin their training in January 2027, and an April 2026 update put completion in spring 2027, with welding and trades courses likely to launch at the new center in summer 2027. The Welding and Trades Center represents a $13.3 million investment in workforce development, with funders including the Baltimore Community Foundation. Neither the college release nor the April update mentions Anduril, so treat this as general welding training in the area, not an Arsenal-2 pipeline.

Hundreds of training programs in all fifty states, many of them free, are listed on BuildSubmarines, which connects job seekers with companies currently manufacturing the U.S. Navy's next-gen submarines.

With this facility, thousands of Marylanders will have new pathways to work, wages, and wealth through advanced training and high-skilled maritime manufacturing jobs, Governor Wes Moore said, according to the Maryland Governor's release.

What Incentives Are Attached, and What Still Needs a Vote?

Maryland and Baltimore County have committed to match up to 13% of the total anticipated private investment by Anduril through existing incentive programs and new appropriations. The county's portion will be a personal property tax break of up to $210 million over 30 years.

Legislation for the tax credit was introduced at the County Council on Monday night, the night before the October 6 announcement, and the public will have two chances to weigh in on Oct 13 and 27 before an expected vote on Nov. 2, so residents have a window to comment on the deal.

The state will also pursue a Maritime Prosperity Zone federal designation for the region, which will support Maryland's longstanding maritime industry and experienced maritime workforce. Baltimore County has a labor pool of more than five million people within 60 miles.

What This Means for Job Seekers, and What Should You Do Next?

Our take is that this is a long runway, not a job fair. The 3,100 direct jobs are planned roles backed by a Navy contract of up to $2.9 billion, and Anduril aims to start hiring for the initial team in 2029. That gap gives workers time to build trade skills, since Anduril's Santa Ana Pipe Fitter/Welder posting asks for 5+ years of pipefitting, welding, or related mechanical trade experience and its Santa Ana electrician posting asks for 7+ years of electrical experience.

Here is what we would do:

• Start a welding or pipe trade now. Check the Community College of Baltimore County welding center announcement and the AWS-certified training it offered as of its September 2025 release, because the Pipe Fitter/Welder posting asks for 5+ years of trade experience. Before you pick a route, compare pay in Welder Salary and How to Earn More.
• Build toward weld certification. The pipe role asks for the ability to pass weld qualification testing, and NAVSEA or nuclear welding certifications are listed as preferred.
• Keep clearance in mind. Anduril's maritime electrician role requires eligibility for an active U.S. Secret security clearance, and the pipe role needs U.S. Person status.
• Look at submarine suppliers today. Companies currently manufacturing the U.S. Navy's next-gen submarines can be found through BuildSubmarines, which is one way to build relevant experience before Anduril's 2029 hiring goal.
• Electricians, build industrial hours. The Santa Ana electrician posting asks for experience in industrial, shipboard, or manufacturing environments, and if you are starting out, read How to Become an Electrician and What the Apprenticeship Involves.
• Watch the county vote. The tax break bill has two public comment chances on Oct 13 and 27 and an expected vote on Nov. 2.

Related Articles

• Navigating the Talent Crisis in U.S. Shipyards
• HII's Cautious Approach to Hiring Skilled Labor in the Defense Sector
• Canada's New Submarine Deal Could Anchor Thousands of Shipbuilding Jobs
• Defense Giants Are Acting Like Venture Capitalists and Reshaping Military-Tech Jobs
• Europe's Defense Spending Surge Is Quietly Creating Thousands of US Jobs
• Data Center Boom Has Employers Paying Off Student Loans to Land Electricians and Welders
• Google, Ford and BlackRock Bet Big on Skilled Trades Jobs
• What Is a Journeyman Electrician?

People Also Asked

Q: How many jobs will the Anduril shipyard in Maryland create?

A: Arsenal-2 is expected to create 3,100 direct jobs and support more than 11,000 indirect jobs, and the state puts the total at over 14,000 jobs supported.

Q: When will Anduril start hiring in Baltimore County?

A: Anduril's goal is for hiring for the initial team to begin in 2029, ahead of initial operations that are expected to come online in 2030.

Q: What jobs will the Arsenal-2 shipyard need?

A: The trades named for the yard include welders, pipefitters, electricians, shipfitters, inspectors, and other skilled trades, and the yard will first produce parts like torpedo tubes, then larger components like bows and sterns.

Ready to explore? Metaintro brings together 50M jobs in one place. Create a free profile and start your search today.