Arms manufacturing is big business in the United States, and each state plays an integral role in outfitting the military with the best up-to-date weapons and equipment. Some states clearly contribute to the defense economy more than others, like California and Texas that host large defense contractors. (This is every tank in the history of the U.S. military.)
Here 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look into which states are making the most weapons for the U.S. Army. To identify the states making the most weapons for the U.S. Army, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the Army Weapon Systems Handbook for 2020-2021. We ranked states according to how many contractors are providing the most weapons systems. We also detailed notable contractors and weapons systems being developed in each state.
Texas ranks fairly high on this list. This state is home to facilities like the Lockheed Martin plant in Fort Worth that has 18,000 employees dedicated to tasks specializing in the production of the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet.
Other companies like Northrop Grumman and Boeing span multiple states in terms of the production of their aircraft. Some states specialize in manufacturing individual components of fighter jets or helicopters while others piece these aircraft together.
Some states like Ohio and Pennsylvania are known more for their production of armored vehicles and electronic warfare systems. For example, in Ohio, the Lima Army Tank Plant is the sole producer of the Abrams tank, which is considered a cornerstone of Army ground forces.
Overall, these states contribute a wide array of weapons and arms for the U.S. military. Each has something different to offer, some more or some less, but united these states help manufacture weapons for the strongest military on the planet. (These are the 26 guns in the arsenal of the U.S. Army.)
Here is a look at the states making the most weapons for the U.S. Army:
Why Are We Covering This?
Source: navalsurfaceforces / Flickr
As geopolitical tensions evolve, the strategic importance of individual states manufacturing weapons and equipment for the U.S. Army continues to grow. This underlies each state’s role in maintaining national security and gaining from the defense economy.
40. Idaho
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 1 (tied)
- Notable contractors: TrellisWare
- Associated weapons systems: Integrated Tactical Network and Man-portable Radiological Detection System
39. Maine
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 1 (tied)
- Notable contractors: General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems
- Associated weapons systems: Ammunition — Medium and Large Caliber, Small Arms — Crew Served Weapons, and Next Generation Squad Weapons
38. Mississippi
Source: drnadig / iStock via Getty Images
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 1 (tied)
- Notable contractors: Stark
- Associated weapons systems: Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System
37. Oklahoma
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 1 (tied)
- Notable contractors: McAlester Army Ammunition Plant
- Associated weapons systems: Ammunition — Medium Caliber
36. Rhode Island
Source: thenationalguard / Flickr
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 1 (tied)
- Notable contractors: Textron
- Associated weapons systems: Next Generation Squad Weapons, Guardrail Common Sensor, Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System
35. Nevada
Source: Ethan Miller / Getty Images News via Getty Images
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 2 (tied)
- Notable contractors: Sierra Nevada Corporation and U.S. Ordnance
- Associated weapons systems: Integrated Tactical Network, Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System, and Small Arms — Crew Served Weapons
34. New Mexico
Source: Ethan Miller / Getty Images News via Getty Images
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 2 (tied)
- Notable contractors: Raytheon Missiles & Defense and Wildflower International
- Associated weapons systems: Installation Information Infrastructure Modernization Program, Improved Target Acquisition System, and Patriot Advanced Capability
33. Connecticut
Source: Christian Horz / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 3 (tied)
- Notable contractors: Danbury Mission Technologies, Goodrich, and Sikorsky
- Associated weapons systems: Aircraft Survivability Equipment, Chinook, Black Hawk Utility Helicopter, Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft, and Future Long Range Assault Aircraft
32. Iowa
Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 3 (tied)
- Notable contractors: American Ordnance, Collins Aerospace, and Rockwell Collins
- Associated weapons systems: Artillery Ammunition, Mortar Weapon System, Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System, and Chinook
31. Kansas
Source: wellesenterprises / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 3 (tied)
- Notable contractors: Day & Zimmermann, Leading Technology Composites, and Textron Aviation
- Associated weapons systems: Artillery Ammunition, Mortar Weapon System, Soldier Protection System, and Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System
30. Oregon
Source: Wikipedia
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 3 (tied)
- Notable contractors: Daimler Trucks North America, Pacific Star Communications, and Vigor Works
- Associated weapons systems: Line Haul Tractor, Tactical Network Transport, Unified Network Operations, and Army Watercraft Systems
29. Vermont
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 3 (tied)
- Notable contractors: Galvion and General Dynamics
- Associated weapons systems: Soldier Protection System, Integrated Tactical Network, Mortar Weapons Systems, and Signal Modernization
28. Kentucky
Source: luhaiwong / Flickr
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 4 (tied)
- Notable contractors: Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass, Conco, Fibrotex USA, and FLIR
- Associated weapons systems: Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives, Hydra Rocket Systems, and Ultra Lightweight Camouflage Net System
27. Minnesota
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 4 (tied)
- Notable contractors: Cummins Power Generation, Northrop Grumman Defense Systems, and Orbital Alliant Techsystems
- Associated weapons systems: Tactical Electric Power, Defense Enterprise Wideband SATCOM System, and Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control
26. Tennessee
Source: edoug / Flickr
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 4 (tied)
- Notable contractors: Accurate Energetic, BAE Systems, and Barrett Firearms Manufacturing
- Associated weapons systems: Precision Weapons — Individual Weapons, Lightweight Towed Howitzer, Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, and Joint Battle Command-Platform
25. Arkansas
Source: artas / iStock via Getty Images
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 5 (tied)
- Notable contractors: Aerojet Rocketdyne, Lockheed Martin, and Spectra
- Associated weapons systems: Stinger Block I with Proximity Fuze, Javelin Close Combat Missile System, and Artillery Ammunition
24. Missouri
Source: volvob12b / Flickr
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 5 (tied)
- Notable contractors: Asynchrony Labs, DRS Sustainment Systems, Leonardo DRS, and Northrop Grumman
- Associated weapons systems: Man-portable Radiological Detection System, Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense, and Joint Battle Command-Platform
23. New Hampshire
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 5 (tied)
- Notable contractors: BAE Systems, L3Harris, L3Warrior, Optics 1, and Sig Sauer
- Associated weapons systems: Artillery Ammunition, Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, Transportable Tactical Command Communications, and Enhanced Night Vision Goggle
22. Washington
Source: Thinkstock
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 5 (tied)
- Notable contractors: Berg, Fluke Corp., InBios International, Microsoft, and Oshkosh Defense
- Associated weapons systems: Force Provider Expeditionary, Calibration Sets, Warfighter Protection and Acute Care, and Tactical Network Transport
21. Wisconsin
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 5 (tied)
- Notable contractors: AMTEC Corp., Case New Holland, Oshkosh, and Vortex Optics
- Associated weapons systems: Artillery Ammunition, High Mobility Engineer Excavator Type I and Type III, Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, and Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles
20. Colorado
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 6 (tied)
- Notable contractors: Birdon America, GPS Source, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman
- Associated weapons systems: Military Bridging Systems, Mounted Assured Positioning Navigation and Timing System, and Precision Strike Missile
19. South Carolina
Source: thescang / Flickr
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 6 (tied)
- Notable contractors: Critical Solutions International, Fabrique National Manufacturing, Sius Target Systems, and Steven Aerospace and Defense Systems
- Associated weapons systems: Future Army System of Integrated Targets, Small Arms — Crew Served Weapons, and Mine Protection Vehicle Family
18. Utah
Source: George Frey / Getty Images
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 6 (tied)
- Notable contractors: BioFire Defense, L3 Communications, L3 Harris, and Visionary Products
- Associated weapons systems: Radiological Detection System, Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear Medical, and Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System
17. Indiana
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 7
- Notable contractors: AM General, Cummins, Flexible Concepts, and Raytheon
- Associated weapons systems: High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Mortar Weapon Systems, Improved Target Acquisition System
16. Arizona
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 8 (tied)
- Notable contractors: General Dynamics, Honeywell, L3, and Raytheon
- Associated weapons systems: Hydra Rocket Systems, Military Bridging Systems, Abrams Main Battle Tank, Artillery Ammunition, and Patriot Advanced Capability
15. Georgia
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 8 (tied)
- Notable contractors: 4K Solutions, Gulfstream, Janus Research Group, and JCB
- Associated weapons systems: Integrated Tactical Network, Fixed Wing, Phoenix E-Model Ground Satellite Terminal, and Tactical Network Transport
14. Michigan
Source: Roberto Galan / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 9 (tied)
- Notable contractors: BAE Systems, Detroit Diesel, General Motors Defense, Globe Tech, & L3Harris
- Associated weapons systems: Artillery Ammunition, Line Haul Tractor, and Infantry Squad Vehicle
13. North Carolina
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 9 (tied)
- Notable contractors: Daimler Trucks North America, Honeywell, Red Hat, and PPD
- Associated weapons systems: Line Haul Tractor, Abrams Main Battle Tank, Lightweight Towed Howitzer, and Distributed Common Ground System
12. Ohio
Source: marine_corps / Flickr
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 9 (tied)
- Notable contractors: AlphaMicron, BAE Systems, HDT Global, L3Harris, and TenCate Advanced Armour
- Associated weapons systems: Soldier Protection System, Aircraft Survivability Equipment, Force Provided Expeditionary, and Signal Modernization
11. New Jersey
Source: njnationalguard / Flickr
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 10
- Notable contractors: Acrow, Booz Allen Hamilton, L3Harris, and Perspecta Labs
- Associated weapons systems: Military Bridging Systems, Command Hardware Systems, Unified Command Suite, and Unified Network Operations
10. Illinois
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 12 (tied)
- Notable contractors: Boeing, Caterpillar, General Dynamics, Motorola, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon
- Associated weapons systems: Apache Attack Helicopter, Avenger Air Defense System, Medium Dozer, Motor Grader, and Unified Command Suite
9. Massachusetts
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 12 (tied)
- Notable contractors: General Dynamics, General Electric, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and SimSpace
- Associated weapons systems: Black Hawk Utility Helicopter, Apache Attack Helicopter, Patriot Advanced Capability, Precision Strike Missile, and Hellfire Family of Missile
8. New York
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 12 (tied)
- Notable contractors: Buffalo Turbine, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Remington Arms Co., and Watervliet Arsenal
- Associated weapons systems: Mine-Protection Vehicle Family, Distributed Cmmon Ground System, Precision Weapons — Individual Weapons, and Guardrail Common Sensor
7. Pennsylvania
Source: usarmyeurope_images / Flickr
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 13
- Notable contractors: Action Manufacturing, Boeing, General Dynamics, Letterkenny Army Depot, and Lifelens
- Associated weapons systems: Force Provider Expeditionary, Warfighter Health Performance and Evacuation, Artillery Ammunition, and Hydra Rocket Systems
6. Texas
Source: digidreamgrafix / iStock via Getty Images
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 24
- Notable contractors: Airbus Helicopter, Dell, King Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and Ultra Electronics
- Associated weapons systems: Lakota — Light Utility Helicopter, Fixed Wing, Distributed Common Ground System, and Air and Missile Defense Planning and Control System
5. Alabama
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 26
- Notable contractors: BAE Systems, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman
- Associated weapons systems: Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Apache Attack Helicopter, and Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense
4. Maryland
Source: Serhej Calka / iStock via Getty Images
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 39
- Notable contractors: Booz Allen Hamilton, Cellphire, Lockheed Martin, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, and Sierra Nevada Corporation
- Associated weapons systems: Common Hardware Systems, Unified Command Suite, Warfighter Protection and Acute Care, Apache Attack Helicopter, and Joint Air-to-Ground Missile
3. Florida
Source: usaghumphreys / Flickr
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 43
- Notable contractors: Blue Sky, Honeywell, Hoverfly, Longbow, Phoenix Defense, and Raytheon
- Associated weapons systems: Signal Modernization, Abrams Main Battle Tank, Integrated Tactical Network, Apache Attack Helicopter, and Joint Land Component Constructive Training Capability
2. California
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 44
- Notable contractors: Cisco Systems, L3, Oracle, Palantir, and Raytheon
- Associated weapons systems: Signal Modernization, Mortar Weapon Systems, Distributed Common Ground System, and Army Vantage
1. Virginia
Source: virsuziglis / iStock via Getty Images
- Number of US Army contractors operating in the state: 53
- Notable contractors: Bowhead, Collins Aerospace, Eagle Industries, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon
- Associated weapons systems: Common Hardware Systems, Joint Battle Command-Platform, Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer, and Soldier Protection System
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