Fact Check

Does a Pennsylvania Factory Make Ammo for Ukraine?

It's not the only U.S. plant making artillery for the war in Ukraine.

Published Feb 22, 2023

 (Twitter)
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Claim:
A factory in Pennsylvania produces ammunition for the Ukrainian military.

In February 2023, videos spread online claiming that an ammunition plant in Pennsylvania was producing artillery for Ukraine in its war against invading Russian forces. The videos we examined were real and accurate.

"A former railway equipment factory in Pennsylvania shifted its activities to produce ammo for Ukrainian forces," one Twitter post said. "They work day and night to keep up with the needs of contract as they call it, which is obviously Ukraine."

Located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the plant did repair steam locomotives a century ago, according to a TIME article from early February. The article also said the plant, which is owned by the U.S. Army and operated by General Dynamics Corp., is contracted to make over 11,000 shells per month, working five days a week with a weekend shift. (It was estimated that Ukraine had been firing 6,000 to 7,000 artillery shells per day.)

Also in early February, NPR's Pittsburgh station reported that U.S. Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth toured the plant with Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa. Casey said about the plant, "The best of America is right here, in Scranton, Pennsylvania."

The article also said that the Army anticipated hiring around 40 new staff members, as well as investing over $240 million in the plant to upgrade equipment. 

The Pennsylvania facility isn't the only U.S. plant making ammunition for Ukraine. Weapons and equipment are being made in Arkansas and Iowa. The Army said in January to reporters that a new plant is being built in Garland, Texas.

Sources

Bolus, Kat. "Secretary of the Army Tours Scranton Plant Making Shells for Ukraine." 90.5 WESA, 7 Feb. 2023, https://www.wesa.fm/politics-government/2023-02-07/secretary-of-the-army-tours-scranton-plant-making-shells-for-ukraine.

Cook, Lorne. "EU Urges Members to Offer Stockpiles, Contracts to Ukraine." AP News, 21 Feb. 2023, https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-nato-politics-business-europe-0712640c3a14096e797c75c585453c3d.

Hennigan, W.J. "Inside the U.S. Army Plant Making Artillery Shells for Ukraine." Time, 3 Feb. 2023, https://time.com/6252541/inside-the-us-army-plant-making-artillery-shells-for-ukraine/.

Liebermann, Haley & Britzky, Oren. "Ukraine Is Burning through Ammunition Faster than the US and NATO Can Produce It. Inside the Pentagon's Plan to Close the Gap | CNN Politics." CNN, 17 Feb. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/17/politics/us-weapons-factories-ukraine-ammunition/index.html.

Izz Scott LaMagdeleine is a fact-checker for Snopes.

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