Dive Brief:
- Aircraft maker Electra will spend $850 million to build its first U.S. manufacturing plant in Springfield, Ohio, the company and state officials announced Tuesday at the Farnborough International Airshow in England.
- The 96-acre facility will create 1,975 jobs and produce the startup’s nine-passenger, hybrid-electric EL9 Ultra Short plane model, according to the press release.
- Design work is expected to begin immediately with construction set to start in 2027. The facility will have an initial capacity to build up to 400 aircraft a year. An opening date was not disclosed.
Dive Insight:
Electra site-selection for its manufacturing plant took about a year, the company stated in the release.
Criteria included infrastructure readiness, long-term expansion capacity and proximity to required workforce skills in aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing to support the EL9 Ultra Short production.
The facility will be located at industrial development Airpark Ohio, which is adjacent to Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport and close to Dayton International Airport. The site is also near U.S. Route 68 and Interstate 70.
Furthermore, the startup chose the region because it offers advanced air mobility companies various resources, such as a growing AAM production footprint near Dayton International Airport. Joby Aviation has air taxi plane manufacturing facilities at the airport and has gradually increased its presence since 2023.
Other proximity benefits include the testing flight site National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence in Springfield. The site is also located close to aerial radar SkyVision systems at the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport. Skyvision is operated by the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Air Force Research Laboratory, with the latter located on the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Electra is pursuing an airworthiness certification for planes that carry 19 passengers or fewer from the Federal Aviation Administration before the first anticipated flight that’s scheduled for late 2027 or early 2028.
The new facility builds on Electra’s research and development agreement with Safran Helicopter Engines that was established July 15. The deal involves developing and producing Safran’s TG600 turbogenerator that will power Electra’s Ultra Short aircraft. The contract also includes an initial order for 250 units and makes Safran’s engine the core system.
Electra’s investment is just one of many announcements released at the Farnborough International Airshow, a defense and aerospace exhibition that occurs every two years. Here are other aerospace companies that have disclosed investment plans to expand, upgrade or build in the United States.
If there is other investment news not included in the table below, let us know at [email protected].
