Business Facilities gives high rankings to Alabama, cities
Business Facilities magazine gives Alabama high rankings for its workforce training programs, auto manufacturing strength and overall manufacturing employment, while touting the economic growth potential of Mobile and Huntsville. In its 13th annual ranking report, the economic development-focused publication singled out Huntsville as the nation’s top metro area in aerospace/defense, citing its large concentration of…
Alabama’s Arista Aviation wins $111 million State Department contract
ENTERPRISE, Alabama — Arista Aviation Services LLC said today that the U.S. State Department’s Office of Aviation has awarded it a five-year contract with a maximum value of $111 million to perform maintenance on the agency’s UH-1 helicopters. The Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contact for UH-1 Programmed Depot Maintenance extends the work already being done…
Blue Origin to invest $200M in Alabama rocket engine production facility
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Blue Origin, the spaceflight company started by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced today that it will manufacture its BE-4 engine in a state-of-the art production facility to be built in Alabama’s Rocket City. The new facility will be in Cummings Research Park, the nation’s second-largest research park, and construction can begin once…
Tuskegee University aerospace engineering program ascends with industry
TUSKEGEE, Alabama – Tuskegee University has made significant contributions to the U.S. aerospace industry, and that influence is poised to grow. Since it started in 1983, the school’s Aerospace Science Engineering Department has produced more than 200 graduates who are working across the nation. In the last five years, enrollment in the program has been…
At Paris Air Show, states find plenty of competitors in U.S. hall
PARIS – The competition for aerospace jobs and investment is fierce. No place demonstrates that better than the U.S. Pavilion at the 2017 Paris Air Show, where nearly two dozen states have exhibition booths. At the aerospace industry’s premiere trade show, these booths serve as a nerve center and meeting space for the state economic…
GE Aviation orders at Paris Air Show to boost Alabama operations
PARIS – GE Aviation and its partners racked up more than $31 billion in orders and commitments at this week’s Paris Air Show – and the company’s Alabama operations will benefit from the bonanza. The orders and commitments received at the aerospace industry’s largest trade event from more than 30 airlines and airplane leasing companies…
Worldwide demand growing for Alabama-made aerospace products
MONTGOMERY, Alabama – Aerospace companies across Alabama are seeing strong demand for their products around the world, with the value of the state’s aerospace exports topping $1.4 billion last year, an increase of more than 65 percent from the previous year. Over the past five years, the same export category has grown 156 percent, as…
Baldwin County targets aerospace growth at Paris Air Show
PARIS — Alabama’s Baldwin County is focused on building its aerospace industry, and representatives from the region are furthering that mission at this week’s Paris Air Show. “Our plan for the Air Show has been to connect with many aerospace decision makers and communicate to them our value proposition as an aerospace community,” said Lee…
Huntsville Chamber launches competition to advance Dream Chaser applications
PARIS — The Huntsville/Madison County Chamber launched an international competition with the European Space Agency (ESA) today at the Paris Air Show. The competition is part of ESA’s Space Exploration Masters program, which seeks business innovation and technology transfer ideas that utilize space infrastructure. The Huntsville chamber has partnered with Astrosat, a Scottish aerospace company,…
North Alabama aviation firm upgrading Austrian Air Force helicopters
GUNTERSVILLE, Alabama – An aviation company that upgrades Black Hawk helicopters is deepening its roots in North Alabama while expanding its customer base around the world, starting with an order for the Austrian Air Force. Huntsville-based Ace Aeronautics, which does business as Global Aviation Solutions (GAS), has about 50 employees and plans to add another…
