U.S. defense startup Anduril Industries is reportedly in talks to acquire Nissan Motor Co.‘s (OTC:NSANY) Oppama Plant in Japan to manufacture autonomous military drones.
Nissan’s Shuttered Plant, Anduril’s Next Battlefield
No deal has been finalized, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing sources.
The 1.7 million sq m coastal site sits adjacent to Yokosuka Naval Base, headquarters of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force and home to the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed carrier strike group.
Anduril has proposed retraining the plant’s 2,400 workers for defense manufacturing. The factory, which opened in 1961 and has produced roughly 18 million vehicles, including the Nissan Leaf EV, is scheduled to close in 2028.
The acquisition news comes amid reports of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi‘s government is expected to unveil a national security strategy accelerating drone and munitions spending, driven by Taiwan Strait risk.
Anduril’s Push Into Japan’s Defense Market
Anduril, co-founded in 2017 by Palmer Luckey, has been expanding its presence in Japan’s defense market. Last year, the company developed a prototype drone called "Kizuna," which means "bond" in Japanese, built entirely with Japanese components to comply with domestic content requirements.
It has also established operations in Taiwan and South Korea as regional defense spending increases.
On the broader defense front, the U.S. Air Force this month awarded Anduril and General Atomics a contract to build its first fleet of semi-autonomous combat aircraft, underscoring the company’s growing role in next-generation weapons development. Luckey believes AI is important “not just for the economy but also for the way we deter wars, fight wars, and win wars.”
According to Reuters, Nissan is also in talks with other potential buyers. The sources said Anduril will still need to secure orders from Japan’s military to justify any purchase.
Anduril has been making moves lately. The U.S. Army this month selected Anduril to lead the common data baseline for its Next Generation Command and Control effort, following 10 months of battlefield testing with the 4th Infantry Division. The contract falls under a 10-year enterprise licensing agreement with a ceiling of $20 billion.
Last month, Anduril raised $5 billion in a Series H funding round, valuing the company at $61 billion, double its mid-2025 valuation of $30.5 billion.
The company has also been expanding its naval footprint. In April, Anduril partnered with British maritime innovation company Kraken Technology Group to develop small, mass-producible unmanned surface vessels for the U.S. Navy.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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