AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE Home to 46 airports as well as companies like Boeing, Orbital ATK and Northrop Grumman, Utah’s aerospace and defense sector is in good company.

Industry Clusters Take Flight in Utah

by FRANK REDDY

Utah is home to 46 airports including Salt lake City International Airport

Photo courtesy of visitutah.com

As one of the nation’s top states for aerospace and defense, companies in these industries have a long history in Utah. They focus on the production, sale and service of commercial aircraft and the design and operation of military weapons and systems.

Chanel Flores, aerospace and IT cluster director with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, helped explain some of the inner workings of the aerospace and defense industries.

“It’s interesting to see the ebbs and flows when it comes to aerospace and defense, because if defense is on the upward spiral, you’ll generally see a decline in commercial, or vice versa,” Flores said, adding that, lately, much has been related to defense in regards to contracts awarded by the federal government.

Utah is home to 46 airports as well as companies like Boeing, Hexcel, L-3 Communications, Northrop Grumman, Orbital ATK and many others, which provide employment to more than 33,500 people in Utah, with a high concentration of aerospace engineers, materials scientists, machine operators and more.

The past couple of years have been eventful ones for companies here. Among the biggest milestones: Parker Hannifin Corp. announced it would move additional repair operations to Utah; Northrop Grumman acquired Orbital ATK; and Duncan Aviation announced an expansion that will add up to 700 jobs.

Flores said educational opportunities for those looking to work with companies in the aerospace field — like those above and more — are abundant, with seven institutions offering specialized programs and applied technology colleges in the state providing a pipeline of machinists, welders and composite techs. Many of these offerings are related to prospective jobs in advanced materials — a growing field.

“When we talk about advanced materials, it’s so broad, and composites specifically touches on so many industries,” Flores said. “It’s interesting to see the evolution of composites, which

were usually just used in aerospace, but not now. You see them used much more broadly.”

Composites play a huge role, with more than 14,300 workers and industryrecognized expertise in advanced materials applications and unmanned systems development.

In 2000, the Department of Defense mandated that one-third of its fleet be unmanned or autonomous — highlighting an already rich history in the field, with universities here having already been researching at great length in unmanned systems and similar technologies.

Flores said that organizations such as the Utah Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Initiative, the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering - Utah Chapter and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International and Deseret UAS focus in Utah on accelerating innovation and growth in advanced materials, engineering and unmanned systems.

In addition, the Utah Department of Transportation, in conjunction with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, the Economic Development Corporation of Utah and the University of Utah have worked to collaborate on the Urban Air Mobility program, which aims to establish a framework for safe and effective autonomous aerial transportation.

“There’s quite a bit going on, and urban air mobility is going to continue to be a huge focus for us within the industry clusters,” Flores said. “I continue to think this is going to be a whole other realm … and it’s exciting to see what Utah’s capabilities are.”

Added Flores: “I think it’s going to be a great year and future for the industry.”