Australian-owned firearms manufacturer Barrett Firearms has started construction of a new state-of-the-art facility in the US state of Tennessee, as part of an ambitious project to establish a “centre of excellence” for advanced firearms manufacturing and research.
The Barrett Manufacturing & Technology Campus (BMTC) project commencement was marked by a groundbreaking ceremony earlier this month to kickstart construction, attended by American and Australian dignitaries.
Barrett Firearms was acquired by Queensland-based NIOA in January 2023 and the new AUD117 million facility, expected to be completed by February 2027, will become Barrett’s North American headquarters as well as a “global centre of excellence for firearms, advanced military weapons manufacturing and research capabilities.”
Stage 1 of the BMTC project will encompass more than 23,225sqm and include Barrett’s new corporate headquarters, offices, R&D capabilities and large-scale state-of-the-art facilities.
The expansion will double the Barrett workforce over the next five years and enable the company to meet growing worldwide demand for its commercial and defence products.
The facility is located on a 69ha site near Barrett’s current HQ in the city of Murfreesboro, and is being described as “the most significant investment in Barrett’s 40-year history”.
NIOA Group executive chair Rob Nioa said the new facility would serve as the company’s global firearms manufacturing centre, and was being constructed “at a time of significant importance for mobilising industry to support Allied defence capability”.
“With global security and deterrence more critical than at any time in the past 80 years, we’re very focused on working with Australia’s Five Eyes and AUKUS partner nations to build sovereign defence industrial capability,” he said.
“We are excited to be building the factory of the future here in Tennessee that will have far-reaching local benefits and international impact.
“It adds the next chapter to Barrett’s history of innovation, precision and excellence that has benefited nations across the globe, creates new jobs that stay in the area while giving us the scale, technology and capacity to meet the growing demands of our customers and defence partners worldwide.”
Barrett is best known for its range of specialist rifles, including the famous .50 BMG Model 82A1, and was originally founded in Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 1982.
There had been concern from many American firearms enthusiasts about such an iconic American arms manufacturer being acquired by an Australian company, but NIOA’s continued investment in Barrett — including this multi-million dollar facility — has shown those fears to be unfounded.
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