An explosion occurred at the General Dynamics plant in Arkansas, which produces ammunition and Javelin missiles.

The local American media Arkansas Online reported on this.

On Wednesday, at about 8:15 a.m. local time, an explosion occurred at the General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems plant, injuring two people and leaving one missing.

General Dynamics spokesman Berkeley Whaley told the newspaper that the explosion was caused by the detonation of explosives.

He also confirmed that some of the production processes that ran through the building where the explosion took place were suspended.

The company is known to specialize in the manufacture of military and aerospace equipment. The plant produces artillery ammunition and mortar mines. In addition, its facilities are involved in the production of components for Hellfire and Javelin missiles.

At the end of May, General Dynamics launched a 155-mm shell production plant in Mesquite, Texas.

The facility, which cost over $500 million to build, will consist of three production lines and have a planned capacity to produce 30,000 shells per month.

It was built within ten months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with funding from Congress and the help of the Turkish company Repkon.

The Pentagon is also planning to launch a second line to equip ammunition with explosives at a military plant in Iowa and partially reopen a plant in Parsons, Kansas, that packs shell charges, which was closed in the 2000s.

To provide Ukraine with weapons, the Pentagon has set a goal of producing up to 100,000 artillery shells per month by the end of 2025.

Last month, it was reported that another American defense company, Northrop Grumman, was planning to set up ammunition production in Ukraine.