Dive Brief:
- Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences is investing $43.8 million to expand and renovate its manufacturing facility in Columbus, Mississippi, according to an Aug. 21 press release.
- The Columbus plant, which produces advanced composite components and assemblies for military and commercial aircraft, will add 50,000 square feet and more than 60 jobs by the end of 2025, according to the release.
- Aurora Flight will also modernize 40,000 square feet of existing space by adding automation equipment, robotics and non-destructive inspection technologies. Construction on the project is now underway and set to be complete in 2026.
Dive Insight:
Aurora is expanding its Columbus facility in order to meet increasing customer demands, Luke Colville, VP of manufacturing for the company, said in an email.
The expansion and renovation project will increase its volume to produce composite components for executive jets and other aircraft programs at the Columbus plant, according to the release.
Additionally, the plant will produce composite skins for Boeing’s MQ-25 Stingray, a new aircraft the company is developing for the U.S. Navy. The Columbus facility will also manufacture components for the X-66, a Boeing aircraft being developed in collaboration with NASA.
The Columbus expansion plan follows a similar upgrade to Aurora’s other manufacturing facility in Bridgeport, West Virginia, that was completed in April. The expansion added 50,000 square feet to the facility, with Aurora planning to add 100 jobs over the next five years. The investment cost for the project was not publicly released.
In January, Aurora Flight Sciences announced that the Bridgeport facility will build the airframe for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s X-65 aircraft. In February, the company said the Bridgeport facility will also support the manufacturing of the fuel-efficient wing for the X-66.
