Industry leaders as Pratt & Whitney, Lockheed Martin, Bombardier-West Virginia, Northrop Grumman, BF Goodrich Aerospace, Aurora Flight Services and Alliant Techsystems have manufacturing, repair and air freight operations in West Virginia. The aerospace, parts, and accessories industry is continuously growing in our state. With our strategic industrial advantages and the established presence of key companies here, it’s easy to see why. Two companies, Alliant Techsystems (ATK) in Rocket Center and Aurora Flight Sciences in Bridgeport, were awarded contracts to build hardware and other components for the expansion of the United States Air Force’s Global Hawk aircraft program in September 2002. This transaction will immediately create 80 new jobs and lead to more new jobs in the future.

More than a third of the U.S. market for aerospace products can be reached from West Virginia through overnight trucking, and our state also offers strategic access to national defense contractors, corporations, federal and state governments, and ammunition manufacturers. As far as utilities go, West Virginia’s industrial electric and natural gas rates are among the lowest in the nation due to abundant natural gas and oil reserves—good news for aerospace industry investors, since electricity costs make up the largest percentage of total utility bills. Through more than 100,000 miles of in-place fiber optic cable, our 100 % digital switching capabilities have led West Virginia to the forefront of the nation’s telecommunications systems. And most important of all, there’s our people:  more than 9,500 engineers work in the state in a variety of industries, at two major engineering schools and at the Robert C. Byrd National Aerospace Education Center.  Additional advanced employee training is available through the Robert C. Byrd Institute for Flexible Manufacturing at four locations throughout the state. West Virginia’s large supply of experienced engineers, inspectors, testers, graders, assemblers, machininsts, and mechanists are currently working hard, and will work hard in the future, to meet the aerospace parts industry’s skill needs.

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