PHILADELPHIA, PA — Attalon is investing nearly $13 million to expand sapphire manufacturing capabilities at its Murrieta, California, facility, increasing domestic production capacity for optical materials used in military aircraft, missile systems, surveillance equipment and other defense technologies.
The investment is intended to increase manufacturing throughput, improve production readiness and expand technical capabilities as defense contractors require greater quantities of high-performance optical components.
Sapphire is used in electro-optical and infrared systems because of its optical properties and resistance to demanding environmental conditions. Those characteristics make it suitable for sensing, targeting and surveillance applications where precision and durability are critical.
The expansion builds on more than seven years of government and private-sector investment aimed at establishing Murrieta as a domestic manufacturing source for defense-grade sapphire.
Earlier federal support helped develop the facility’s manufacturing capabilities and technical expertise, including production capabilities supporting the F-35 fighter aircraft program.
Rep. Ken Calvert, who represents Murrieta and chairs the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, played a role in securing federal investment for the technology and manufacturing infrastructure.
Attalon’s latest commitment represents a further expansion of that domestic production base as demand increases for optical materials used in advanced defense systems.
“Sapphire is an enabling technology behind some of today’s most demanding defense systems, and ensuring we have the domestic capacity to produce it at scale is increasingly important,” said John Bergeron, Attalon’s chief executive officer.
Bergeron said the investment is intended to position the company to increase production alongside the defense programs it supplies.
The expansion will also support improvements in manufacturing infrastructure and processes intended to increase output while maintaining the precision and consistency required for defense applications.
Anthony McBride, vice president and general manager of precision optics at Attalon, said the company’s existing technical capabilities provide a foundation for higher production volumes.
“We’re expanding the capabilities and infrastructure needed to increase throughput while maintaining the precision, consistency and reliability our customers depend on,” McBride said.
The investment forms part of Attalon’s broader strategy to expand U.S. manufacturing capacity for defense-related technologies, including precision optics, optical coatings, directed energy and thermal systems.
By increasing domestic sapphire production, the company aims to strengthen supply-chain capacity for existing military platforms and next-generation defense programs that depend on specialized optical materials.
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