An early Wednesday morning explosion rocked the General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems facility in Camden, Arkansas, injuring at least two people and leaving one person missing.
Local media outlet Camden News quoted General Dynamics in a statement as saying:
"Today at 8:15 am CDT, an incident involving pyrotechnics occurred at the General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems facility in Camden, Arkansas. At this time, we are working with first responders and can confirm the incident resulted in at least two injuries and one missing individual."
The 880,000-square-foot weapons factory, located about 86 miles south of Little Rock, is a "leader in the high-rate production" of weapons, including "Hydra-70 2.75-inch rocket, Hellfire and Javelin missiles, the Modular Artillery Charge System and various mortar munitions," according to the defense firm's website.
Berkley Whaley, General Dynamics' spokesperson, told local media outlet Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that the incident was related to "pyrotechnics" and clarified that it indicated explosives.
Alleged video of the incident surfaced on X this afternoon.
BREAKING: An explosion took place at a General Dynamics plant in Arkansas, a manufacturer of military and aerospace equipment. pic.twitter.com/8eTx2TC8Ud
— The General (@GeneralMCNews) July 3, 2024
Whaley declined to answer questions about whether the facility had been damaged, citing an ongoing investigation.
Meanwhile, US defense companies have been ramping up weapons production (read: here) to arm Ukraine and Israel and replenish depleted Pentagon stocks. There is no word yet on how the disruption in Camden will affect overall US supplies of Hellfire and Javelin missiles.
