PINE BLUFF, Ark. (KATV) — A massive new investment is coming to the Pine Bluff Arsenal, where Hanwha Defense USA plans to build an advanced manufacturing campus expected to bring hundreds of jobs and expand Arkansas’ role in the aerospace and defense industry.
Clint O’Neill, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, said Hanwha Defense USA announced last week it will invest $2.2 billion in the project. The development is expected to create 400 jobs for Arkansans.
O’Neill called it “one of the largest ever” economic development announcements for the state and said the effort to land the project took about 18 months. He said the process included evaluating real estate, workforce and business costs, along with hosting company representatives in Arkansas, traveling to Korea, and meeting with the company at trade shows…