Army inks $435 million deal for new TNT production facility

3-29 FA, 4TH ID fires first 155mm rounds in Poland

Paladin artillery crews assigned to 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division conduct Table VI qualifications in February 2017, firing the first 155-mm rounds in Poland at the training site. (US Army/Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Tarr)

WASHINGTON —As part of the Army’s quest to boost weapons production, it is reestablishing TNT production on US soil, inking a deal to build out a new facility in Graham, Ky.

“For the first time in decades, America will produce TNT on its own soil, manufacturing the explosive material our military uses for everything from hand grenades to 155mm artillery,” outgoing Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a press release.

McConnell’s comments came after the service announced a new $435 million deal last Friday, tasking Repkon USA with designing and building out the new explosives production facility that should be completed by early November 2028.

“This is a major step forward in rebuilding our industrial base and ensuring we have the critical capabilities to support our warfighters,” Army acquisition head Douglas Bush said in the press release. “Reshoring TNT production gives us the ability to control and secure our supply chain for this vital component, especially in an era of increasing global challenges.”

TNT is used to produce an array of explosive weapons including ammunition, bombs and 155-millimeter artillery rounds, but the military has been reliant on overseas sources. The decision to build out a new production comes as service leaders work to scale weapon production in the wake of the Ukraine war, including 155mm artillery rounds.

By fiscal 2026, the service is aiming to have the capacity to produce 100,000 rounds each month. To get there, Bush previously said the Army plans to spend $4.2 billion to build up the industrial base across various initiatives, to include commissioning three new domestic facilities to support 155mm production and a new metal parts production facility in Canada.

“This new state-of-the-art [TNT] facility is essential to the … mission to develop, procure and field safe, reliable and lethal munitions to our joint warfighters and international partners,” Maj. Gen. John T. Reim, the joint program executive officer for armaments and ammunition, said in the Army press release. “This project will also further strengthen our defense industrial base, enabling munitions production at speed and scale.”