Just months after opening its massive defense manufacturing facility in the Shoals, Hadrian announced Thursday it has raised $1.37 billion in new financing to accelerate expansion of its highly automated factories, including continued investment in its Northwest Alabama operation.
The California-based advanced manufacturing company said the Series D funding round values the company at $7.87 billion and will support new factories, expanded research and development, and additional production capabilities for defense, aerospace and industrial customers.
The announcement reinforces Hadrian’s commitment to its recently opened Muscle Shoals facility, which the company says is central to its plan to expand domestic manufacturing capacity for critical U.S. defense programs.
“Production is now the frontline of deterrence,” said Chris Power, founder and CEO of Hadrian. “America’s ability to lead will depend on whether we can build, train, and scale faster. This financing allows Hadrian to accelerate building the Factories of the Future, expand into new mission-critical production capabilities, and invest in the technicians and engineers who will rebuild America’s industrial base.”
The funding round was co-led by WCM Investment Management, Washington Harbour Partners, Valor Equity Partners, 137 Ventures and Baillie Gifford, with additional backing from JPMorganChase’s Strategic Investment Group, 1789 Capital, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, Apollo-managed funds, T. Rowe Price Associates, CapitalG, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, Lux Capital, Altimeter and Construct Capital.
According to the company, the new capital will be used to expand its network of AI-powered manufacturing facilities and launch additional production lines, including munitions and autonomous systems.
Muscle Shoals remains a key part of expansion
Hadrian highlighted its Muscle Shoals factory as one of the major milestones achieved since its previous funding round just one year ago.
The Muscle Shoals facility, known as Factory 4, officially opened in March at the Barton Riverfront Industrial Park in Cherokee on the site of the former FreightCar America plant.
The 2.2 million-square-foot facility is designed to manufacture critical submarine components supporting the Navy’s Columbia- and Virginia-class submarine programs while helping address production bottlenecks in the nation’s maritime industrial base.
The project represented more than $2.4 billion in combined public and private investment and is expected to create up to 1,000 jobs once fully operational.
At the March ribbon-cutting ceremony, Power described the Shoals facility as part of a broader effort to rebuild American manufacturing.
“We’re betting on the people of this state to step up and deliver when it matters most,” he said.
The AI-powered manufacturing company operates four facilities covering just under 3 million square feet: two in Torrance, California, and newly launched sites in Arizona and Alabama, with additional sites in development across the country.
Supporting national defense
Hadrain’s manufacturing platform combines robotics, automation and artificial intelligence to produce precision components for defense and aerospace customers.
The company said the new funding will allow it to expand beyond precision parts into production of complete mission-critical systems, including munitions and autonomous technologies.
“Our ability to lead will depend on whether we can build, train, and scale faster,” Power said.
The company also said it plans to continue expanding its workforce by hiring and training operators, engineers and technicians for its automated production facilities while offering equity participation to employees.
Founded in 2020, Hadrian focuses on supporting the U.S. defense industrial base through advanced manufacturing technologies designed to increase production speed and strengthen domestic supply chains.
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