Startup Union eyes share of 155mm shell production at new Texas facility

WASHINGTON — At a time when the US Army is working to ramp up 155mm artillery round production, a venture-backed startup is eyeing a share of that market with the launch of a new production facility in the Dallas area.

“The problem behind the energetic enterprise is that we don’t build the things that build the things anymore in this country, and we forgot how to forge steel,” Joe Musselman, chairman and co-founder of the firm Union, recently told Breaking Defense. “We gave away our manufacturing might over the last half century.”

Musselman, also a founder and managing partner at the Bravo Victor Venture Capital (BVVC) incubating the startup, along with Union’s co-founder and CEO Will Somerindyke, are aiming to shift the landscape.

In 2024, the team raised just over $52 million over a 60-plus day sprint to launch forward with a 155mm production facility in Carrollton, Tex., the company said. The goal, Musselman explained, is to stand up two production lines capable of cranking out 60,000 155mm shells per month by late 2026.

If all goes as planned, the first line — expected to be operated by around 50 to 75 people — should produce the first sample article by the end of the year with the second line becoming operational by 2026.

“When we set out … we thought the line was going to be traditional,” Musselman said. But as the team of engineers, integrators and metallurgist “dug in,” he claimed they found ways to reduce the size of the line by 30 percent to 40 percent and boost capacity, via advanced robotics and machining improvements. And lessons from that first line are slated to be folded into the second line.

“By far, the most difficult thing [has] been pulling together these different pieces and parts, and mapping supply chains and onshoring all of this education back to the United States … since there’s only a few people in the world, actually, who make the big machines,” Musselman said.

Global Demand For 155mm Round

Union’s two production lines are slated to open at a time when countries around the globe are looking to boost artillery stockpiles after watching Russian and Ukrainian forces quickly run through rounds on the battlefield. But there have been a host of roadblocks to scaling for global demand. 

In the US, for example, most 155mm shells are produced in a few Army facilities that are managed by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS) and American Ordnance. Army leaders had been aiming to ramp up production at existing and new facilities in order to produce 100,000 155mm by October. However, the service is now expecting a six-month delay, service spokesman Steven Warren told reporters earlier this month.

“It’s a lot of things causing the delay,” Warren said.

“Pieces and parts of that artillery shell are manufactured in multiple locations across the country, and then they come together for final assembly, so any one of those points along the way can create a delay so there is no one we’re not going to finger one single spot,” he added. 

While Warren didn’t pinpoint a single point of failure, in June Breaking Defense first reported that the service is considering scrapping GD-OTS management of three new 155mm artillery round production lines in Mesquite, Texas, and sent the company a show cause letter. (A spokesperson for GD-OTS declined to comment for that report.)

That global demand for 155mm shells means Union isn’t the only firm considering jumping into pool. Divergent 3D, an additive manufacturing company who has been increasing its defense contracts over the last two years, is also looking at its options.

“We’re starting to look at them, yeah,” Divergent president and CEO Lukas Czinger told Breaking Defense this week, adding that the company is currently in research and development on materials that would be needed for things like 155mm or Stinger bodies. “We are seeing program opportunities on it.”

Union, meanwhile, is looking for avenues to win contracts to be the prime or act as a subcontractor, Musselman said.

“If GD-OTS called us tomorrow and said, ‘Hey, we need your help supporting a prime contract for metal parts, can we talk about partnership?’ [That’s] 100 percent okay. This is about the United States winning and being able to produce things at scale,” he said. “We would absolutely partner with folks like that.”

In the meantime, Musselman said Union does have its first deal in place with Regulus Global, a company that acts as an intermediary between the weapons producers and the customer. Musselman explained that Union has inked a deal with Regulus valued around $221 million, in which an undisclosed number of 155mm shells are expected to be sold to US government and NATO allies. (Union CEO Somerindyke is also the chairman over at Regulus.)

“At the end of the day, it’s a ramp up … so down payment this year, 10 percent to 20 percent down payment next year, all milestone tranche-based, and then we will go into the full amount of that contract … [in] 2027,” Musselman said. 

Union is also eyeing a number of forthcoming US government requests for proposals that, if won, could boost orders. While Musselman didn’t disclose which solicitations those might be, the recently approved reconciliation bill provides various line items that could be used for artillery production.

The Army’s fiscal 2026 budget request also includes a $219 million ask to support the purchase of 31,369 155mmm rounds in various configurations, which is nearly $47 million more than the FY25 budget. 

Aaron Mehta contributed to this report.