Costa Mesa-based defense contractor Anduril Industries is preparing to build a massive advanced manufacturing facility in central Ohio, adding a planned 4,000 jobs to the area’s burgeoning high-tech sector, state officials announced Thursday.

The defense technology company founded in 2017 by billionaire Palmer Luckey plans to begin construction of what it’s calling “Arsenal 1” as soon as state and local approvals are secured. The 5 million-square-foot facility will be located on a 500-acre site near Rickenbacker International Airport in rural Pickaway County, about 16 miles southeast of Columbus.

Production of military drones and autonomous air vehicles would begin in July 2026 under the plan, said Christian Brose, Anduril’s chief strategy officer.

Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said it is the largest single job creation and payroll project that Ohio has announced. The governor said winning Anduril’s manufacturing plant marks following Ohio’s history of advanced aviation, which began with the Ohio-born Wright brothers and continues to grow surrounding the Dayton-area Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.