Kratos Moves to New Engine Manufacturing Facility in Auburn Hills, MI to Support Demand for High-Rate Production of Spartan Engines

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: KTOS), a leading technology company in the defense, national security, and global markets, today announced the opening of a new Propulsion Manufacturing Facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan to fulfill upcoming demand for Kratos’ Spartan engines, a family of high-quality, low-cost, military grade turbojet engines, a key enabler in the affordable mass problem set.

This state-of-the-art 22,500-square-foot facility with office, manufacturing, assembly and test areas allows for concurrent production of all four engines in the Spartan family and quantities of 50,000 plus per year. The Spartan line of engines consists of four propulsion systems ranging in thrust from 30 to over 200 lbf.

Kratos’ investment in the new facility demonstrates our commitment to advancing affordable mass inventory levels, producing a large number of military-grade, affordable turbojet engines while expanding crucial infrastructure needed to accelerate propulsion system inventory levels as a part of the US defense industrial base.

To support concurrent production and test of the multiple engine types, Kratos has configured the new facility and optimized inventory systems, production flow, and manufacturing ramp plans to enable isolation of key elements such as inventory while enabling shared use for incoming and outgoing inspection, as well as the multi-station test cell.

With an investment in infrastructure, personnel, and equipment, Kratos’ Auburn Hills facility is designed for rapid, affordable manufacturing of low-cost turbojet engines to significantly boost critical inventory levels.

Steve Fendley, President of Kratos Unmanned Systems Division, said, “Achieving affordable mass requires effective planning and management at all levels—from supply chain to military customer delivery aligned and optimized for cost, capacity, and resilience. Our production-first mindset has been key to our success in realizing high-reliability, military-grade engines with key operational features that can be produced affordably and delivered at high rates. This is a result of our focus on producibility and cost right from the start, rather than the traditional performance first, manufacturability and cost second approach.”