Leonardo DRS opens advanced naval power and propulsion facility in Charleston, South Carolina

Leonardo DRS, Inc. officially opened its new, state-of-the-art naval power and propulsion manufacturing and testing facility in the Charleston, South Carolina region. The more than 140,000ft² facility is a major investment to expand domestic production capacity in support of U.S. Navy submarine and shipbuilding programs, including systems for the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine program.

The purpose-built facility provides advanced manufacturing, final assembly, integration, and testing space dedicated to large components for Leonardo DRS’s naval electric power and propulsion systems. In addition to electric propulsion and power generation systems, the site supports naval steam turbine system design, manufacturing, and testing.

“This strategic investment is a national asset and represents our commitment to supporting the U.S. Navy’s efforts to increase production capacity across the submarine and shipbuilding industrial base,” says Jon Miller, senior vice president and general manager of the Leonardo DRS Naval Power Systems business unit. “This advanced multi-purpose facility enables us to increase production capacity, streamline our production processes, and rapidly respond to evolving fleet requirements.”

“The Department of War has been clear about the need to strengthen and expand the defense industrial base, and this investment answers that call,” says John Baylouny, president and CEO of Leonardo DRS. “By increasing capacity and modernizing our manufacturing infrastructure, we are ensuring the U.S. military has reliable access to the critical capabilities it needs, when and where they are needed.”

As the Navy fields more power-intensive weapons, sensors, and computing systems, scalable integrated power architectures are essential to mission success. The Charleston facility positions Leonardo DRS to deliver those architectures at scale and with the schedule reliability required for next-generation surface combatants and submarines.

Leonardo DRS designs and delivers advanced power and propulsion solutions engineered for the world’s most demanding maritime and battlefield environments. Our technologies enable the U.S. Navy and allied forces to support advanced sensors, directed-energy systems, high-performance computing, and propulsion across surface ships, submarines, and ground platforms. From Columbia-class submarine power and propulsion systems to hybrid electric drive and onboard power solutions, Leonardo DRS is designing and delivering proven, reliable, and cost-effective capabilities backed by decades of operational performance.