Kentucky to get nation’s first TNT plant since 1980s

Nov. 12 (UPI) — The U.S. Army has awarded a $435 million contract for Repkon USA to build the nation’s only TNT production facility in a rural community in Graham, Ky.

Once it becomes operational, the Kentucky facility will be the first U.S.-based supplier of TNT since 1986. The military currently relies on single-source providers for the materials needed to produce them.

“This award will re-establish TNT production swiftly and at scale on U.S. soil for the first time in decades,” Army officials said in a service statement.

TNT is the primary ingredient in ammunition, bombs and grenades, but the U.S. military currently gets all of its TNT from overseas sources.

The new Kentucky facility does not have a timeline to be built or become operable and is a “major step forward in rebuilding our industrial base and ensuring we have the critical capabilities to support our warfighters,” Army Acquisition Chief Doug Bush said in a prepared statement.

“Reshoring TNT products gives us the ability to control and secure our chief supply chain for this vital component, especially in an era of increasing global challenges,” Bush said.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the U.S. military has been trying to diversify its suppliers to produce 155mm artillery shells.

The TNT plant will provide Kentucky residents with more than 50 jobs in addition to creating more construction jobs while the project is underway.

Graham is an unincorporated community located in Muhlenberg County about 135 miles southwest of Louisville.