Kratos breaks ground on new AN/SPY-1 radar and Helios Hypersonics testing facilities in Indiana

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has celebrated a joint groundbreaking ceremony, at the Westgate Academy in Odon, Indiana, marking the beginning of construction for its new Helios and AN/SPY-1 facilities. These facilities, which are the product of $35 million in funding through the Department of War’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) program and cost-sharing from Kratos, represent a significant step forward in advancing defense capabilities, innovation, and the long-term growth of the state’s defense ecosystem.

Kratos’ $35 million investment reinforces its commitment to supporting the U.S. Department of War and its mission partners by aggressively expanding the company's engineering, integration, testing, and manufacturing capabilities.

The new footprint will feature two distinct, purpose-built complexes:

• AN/SPY-1, also referred to as the Indiana Radar Integration Complex (IRIC): An approximately 183,000-square-foot SPY-1 facility designed to establish a long-term organic capability for the repair, testing, integration, and sustainment of the Navy’s AN/SPY-1 radar system. IRIC will provide a scalable infrastructure and workforce foundation to support legacy and next-generation radar systems. This state-of-the-art capability is designed to improve Navy Fleet readiness, reduce sustainment bottlenecks, and increase critical surge capacity.

• The HELIOS Arc Jet & Laser Facility: This complex will advance next-generation directed energy technologies, delivering high-energy laser solutions for integrated air and missile defense, counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS), and force protection missions. Helios is being designed to address current gaps in the U.S. Defense Industrial Base by providing essential testing infrastructure for thermal protection systems used in hypersonic vehicles. By combining a 20-25 MW arc jet capability with a 200-kW fiber laser system, Helios aims to bridge the gap between low-fidelity screening solutions and the exquisite, large-scale arc jet facilities at government testing sites. This unique capability will dramatically increase opportunities for material evaluation in support of both hypersonic and strategic national defense efforts.

Dave Carter, President of Kratos Defense and Rocket Support Services, said, “The groundbreaking of the IRIC and Helios facilities furthers Kratos’ support to the U.S. Armed Forces. By bringing together advanced radar sustainment and cutting-edge hypersonic material testing under one strategic umbrella, we are addressing critical readiness bottlenecks. Indiana has the mission, talent, partnerships, and industrial commitment to become an even more significant contributor to the nation’s defense—and today is evidence of that momentum.”

Together, these facilities underscore Kratos' dedication to strengthening the nation's defense industrial base and delivering mission-critical solutions to the warfighter.

Eric DeMarco, President and CEO of Kratos, said, “Kratos is making deliberate internal investments to rapidly develop and field advanced capabilities our warfighters require against peer adversaries. The new IRIC and Helios facilities are prime examples of how we approach commercial investment in national security to be first to market with proven, cost-effective capabilities. We are proud to expand our partnership with the state of Indiana to deliver real, mission-relevant products and systems, ensuring that our military has the national security relevant hardware it needs to decisively execute its missions.”