General Dynamics' $533M Artillery Plant Fails to Produce a Single Shell

Published Aug 16, 12:27 AM UTC

The U.S. Army awarded General Dynamics $533 million to build a state-of-the-art artillery shell factory near Dallas, Texas, intended to supply Ukraine. However, the facility, equipped with unproven Turkish machinery, suffered catastrophic failures from the start. Robots repeatedly caught fire, dropped steel, and smashed into equipment. A signature stretching machine cracked shells, and press machines required nightly sledgehammer repairs. By August 2025, the Army halted two of three production lines. A July 2026 DoD Inspector General report confirmed the plant never produced a single usable shell. Despite the fiasco, the Army has not recouped funds or held General Dynamics publicly accountable, instead awarding the company new contracts. General Dynamics plans to fix the plant with another unproven technology.