BAE Systems, the third-largest defense contractor in the world, announced plans today for a $45.5 million expansion in Huntsville including a new manufacturing and office facility in Cummings Research Park.

Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce said the expansion will eventually bring "hundreds of jobs" and be completed in 2019. The new facility will cover 83,000 square feet at the corner of Old Madison Pike and Jan Davis Drive, the company said. "It will include engineering development space, manufacturing space, and Department of Defense lab space. A 20-acre site for the building will provide expansion room for phased growth in the future," the chamber of commerce said.

The company is expanding in Huntsville to "establish a closer working relationship with its critical customers in the U.S. Army and Redstone community," the chamber said. The base in Huntsville is home to numerous Army commands.

The chamber said the company plans to design, develop and build "precision munitions and aircraft survivability technology."