Turns out even the primes want a factory of the future.
This morning, automated manufacturing startup Deterrence announced in an exclusive release to Tectonic that they’re entering into a teaming agreement with General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GDOTS).
Deterrence will deploy software and AI-enabled capabilities for “facility optimization, intelligent automation, and factory integration” across GDOTS facilities, beginning with their plant in Mesquite, TX. That’s where the company produces the metal bodies for large-caliber ammunition—155mm artillery projectile bodies, in particular.
“We’re building autonomous manufacturing systems that learn, adapt, and scale in real time,” Dhruva Rajendra, co-founder and CEO of Deterrence, said. “This partnership demonstrates how AI transforms production facilities into strategic assets that respond to demand at the speed required.”
“Every day we’re operational at GDOTS facilities, we’re learning,” he added. “The best training data exists inside of prime facilities. That operational data becomes the foundation for rapid deployment at the next facility, and the next.”
New kids on the block: Deterrence is just about as new-age defense tech as they come.
The company was founded back in 2023 by Dhruva Rajendra (CEO), Brian Jones (COO), and Henry Olgers (Head of Manufacturing) to bring modern production techniques to one of the most old-school industries out there—energetics.
- The idea is to bring autonomous manufacturing to the decades-old facilities that build things like explosives, propellants, rocket motors, and munitions.
- The company’s thesis is (put simply) that the US doesn’t actually have a weapons supply problem—it’s got a production problem. They’re betting that AI and automation can help fix it.
Batten down the hatches: The company’s flagship software basically robotics, factory telemetry, optimization software, and AI-powered manufacturing controls to, like, make production better.
- The idea is to create automated manufacturing lines that learn and improve over time—like AI models.
- The more data the software collects, the better it (at least in theory) can make production. That’s why teaming up with a giant like GDOTS is such a big deal.
- Basically, Deterrence’s software sits on top of an existing production line and continually optimizes how that production line works. Think of it as the Tesla model, but for defense.
Holding hands: With GDOTS, Deterrence will create a “repeatable model that layers intelligence and connectivity onto existing infrastructure to create production systems that improve continuously through software,” per a company spokesperson.
- Deterrence will be the intelligence layer that turns GDOTS’ facilities into smart factories. They will “[integrate] production equipment, operational workflows, and quality systems into connected manufacturing environments designed to support day-to-day operations, reduce downtime, and improve visibility across facilities supporting critical defense programs,” according to the company.
- The two companies started integration work at the Mesquite facility at the end of May. The idea is to basically use that facility as a pilot, then expand across the GDOTS ecosystem if all goes well.
- The spokesperson told Tectonic that the partnership is long-term, and the two companies are “evaluating additional opportunities to expand the partnership and these capabilities across future production initiatives in support of GDOTS defense programs.” The company could not disclose whether capital was exchanged as part of the partnership.
“Together, we’re creating production infrastructure that’s a strategic asset, not just a factory,” Rajendra said. “That’s the kind of partnership that actually moves the needle on national security challenges.”