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Aerospace + Defense Quick Facts
Imagine the Possibilities
Incentives
Not only is Oklahoma a right-to-work state with labor costs 25 percent below the national average, but we also offer a variety of business incentives like the Aerospace Industry Engineer Workforce Tax Credit and 21st Century Quality Jobs Program.
Committed to Growing Aerospace
In Oklahoma, aerospace matters and we’ve proved it with the creation of the ACES program and Oklahoma’s Aerospace + Defense Team. We’re growing and diversifying the sector through workforce development, support of existing businesses and recruitment of new investment to the state.
Oklahoma Air + Space Port
One of only 10 licensed U.S. spaceports — the only one in unrestricted airspace. The “Infinity One” space flight corridor is 152 miles long and 45 miles wide. The facility contains 50,000 square feet of manufacturing space, 6 commercial aircraft hangars for lease and a 13,504 x 300 ft. primary runway.
Unmanned Systems
In the emerging unmanned industry, our unique mix of terrain and testing capacity make Oklahoma perfect for UAS/UAV research and development. Oklahoma is a UAS hub for fire and rescue, precision agriculture, safety and security, transmission monitoring, weather, and aerial photography.
Weather Research + Technology
The National Weather Center and NOAA’s Severe Storms Laboratory are located in Norman, Okla.
FAA Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center
The Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center is the nation’s central FAA and USDOT support and training facility — 87,000 students are trained through the center annually.
- Comprehensive Industry Guide
Oklahoma’s Aerospace Clusters
The more than 1,100 aerospace entities operating in Oklahoma encompass all aspects of the supply chain — manufacturers, MRO, research and development, military and others.
Oklahoma City Metro
Tinker AFB
- AAR
- Acorn Growth Companies
- Boeing
- Bombardier
- Delaware Resource Group
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Field Aerospace
- GE Aviation
- Kratos Defense & Security Solutions
- Lockheed Martin
- Meta Special Aerospace
- Moog
- Northrop Grumman
- Oneida
- Pratt & Whitney
- Rolls-Royce
Tulsa Metro
Tulsa Air National Guard
- American Airlines MRO
- BizJet (Lufthansa Technik)
- Consolidated Turbine Specialists
- FlightSafety
- General Dynamics
- Intercontinental Jet Service Corp.
- L3
- Lufthansa Technik
- MST Manufacturing
- NORDAM
- Spirit AeroSystems
- Triumph Group
- Vertical Aerospace
- WHI Global
Grove
- Ferra Aerospace
- Malone’s CNC Machining
- Orizon Aerostructures
Stillwater
- ASCO Aerospace USA
- Frontier Electronic Systems Corp. (FES)
Northwest Region
Vance AFB
- Aircraft Structures International Corporation (ASIC)
- Vantage Plane Plastics
Southwest Region
Altus AFB
- Fort Sill
- BAE Systems
- Duncan Machine
- Raytheon
Seminole
- Enviro Systems (Safran)
- Air Methods
McAlester
McAlester Army Ammunition Plant
- Choctaw Defense
Oklahoma Business + Site Selection News
Oklahoma Now is a monthly newsletter for business leaders and site selection and commercial real estate professionals.
Subscribe today to stay up-to-date on the latest business and site selection news from Oklahoma.
The state’s 3 research universities, Oklahoma State University (OSU), the University of Tulsa (TU) and the University of Oklahoma (OU), are setting themselves apart nationally through degree programs, facilities, research, grants and more, with emphasis on environmental sensing, defense and weather prediction.
UAS Graduate Degree Programs
The nation’s first graduate (MS and PhD) degree programs in unmanned aerial systems engineering at a research university at Oklahoma State University.
Unmanned Systems Research Institute
OSU is home to the Unmanned Systems Research Institute (USRI) which accesses expertise across the university, combining cutting edge product development with academic knowledge and resources to create unique solutions to critical problems. USRI was the first in the U.S. to receive approval from the FAA to fly an unmanned fixed-wing aircraft swarm within national airspace.
National Weather Center
The NWC is the largest confederation of federal, university and private sector weather and climate research, education, operational and public outreach organizations on the planet. The Norman facility is the headquarters for severe storm tracking and prediction across the U.S., and is home to one of the world’s foremost programs and exceptional research laboratories in radar science and engineering.
National Severe Storms Laboratory
NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) in Norman conducts research on both cold and warm season hazardous weather events. NSSL collaborates with OU as well as OSU in Stillwater to characterize severe storms using UAS.
Choctaw Nation Emerging Aviation Technology Test Center
The Emerging Aviation Technology Test Center is a 44,000+ acre test site that includes ground-based radar, test facilities and experienced staff. The center is one of nine active UAS integration pilot program sites selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Choctaw Nation is the first tribal government recognized as a public aircraft operator by the FAA.
Projects + Partners
Between 2014 and 2019, $44 million in contracts were awarded to Oklahoma companies and institutions in support of unmanned aerial systems from sponsors that include the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Department of Energy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration, and numerous private companies.
Your Site Selection Experts
Contact us today for a confidential, no-cost incentives analysis for your project. Call the Oklahoma Team at 800-588-5959.
Jennifer Springer
Christy Busch
Geoffrey Camp
Cathy Curtis
Connie Lake
Tina Lindsay
Leshia Pearson
Martin Roberts
Sarah Short
