Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace expanded its footprint in the region Thursday, opening a suite of offices to complement its planned missile production site in Toano.

Local and state leaders, plus company representatives from Kongsberg’s home in Norway, gathered at an office building in McLaws Circle to celebrate the opening.

“Opening this office for the business is the next step in our commitment to this community and to our future workforce,” said Heather Armentrout, president and general manager of the company’s U.S. subsidiary. “The office will be the center of our universe here in James City County.”

The company broke ground in January on the Toano site, which will produce cruise missiles for the U.S. Navy and Air Force. It will be the first tenant in a new commerce park being constructed off Old State Road near Upper County Park.

Missile manufacturing will begin in 2027, ramping up to full production by the end of
2028.

The offices, conference rooms and workspaces will allow the company to meet with customers and suppliers, conduct interviews and essentially run the business from one location.

Together, the production facility and the new office space will create more than 180 jobs,
Armentrout said. The project represents a company investment of more than $100 million.

“We know you had lots of choices and you came here,” said Terry Banez, who leads the Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce. “That’s really important to us.”

James City County was selected due to its heavy military presence that includes Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, where the missiles will be armed. Kongsberg is working with the Navy to select a location for that work and has already made a handful of new hires for the Toano plant, Armentrout said.

Kongsberg has a long history with the United States, said Sverre Ulland, Kongsberg senior vice president, strategic production, who traveled from Norway to speak at the event.

Its first U.S. contract was for bolt-action rifles and dates to the 1890s. It delivered missiles to the U.S. Navy in the 1980s. Today it operates a production facility in Johnstown, Pa. that makes remote weapons stations and remote turrets for the Army and Marine Corps.

“This history shows the commitment from Kongsberg and the extremely good
collaboration between the U.S. and our company,” Ulland said.