From military cargo planes and crop dusters to Gulfstream jets, hypersonic aircraft and future air taxis, they’re all made or developed in Georgia as part of the state’s sprawling mix of aerospace companies.
Now, some of the largest aircraft firms in the state are joining together to form the Georgia Aerospace & Defense Alliance, to advocate for one of the state’s top industries and back the state’s tax credit for research and development.
The founding members of the group are Savannah-based jet manufacturer Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., defense contractor Lockheed Martin, pilot training firm FlightSafety International, engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney parent RTX.
The group will be based at Mercer University in Macon, which has an engineering research center that supports Robins Air Force Base. It will be led by executive director Ember Bishop Bentley, a former vice president at Middle Georgia State University and former deputy commissioner of international affairs for the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
The aerospace group’s chair will be Jay Neely, a former Gulfstream executive who is also chair of the Department of Economic Development. With national lobbying groups already focused on Washington, D.C., he said his organization’s primary focus for advocacy will be at the state level.
“Until formation of our group, there really wasn’t what I would call a central meeting place and a central voice for the industry,” Neely said.
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Bentley said the group will represent the industry at events in the state such as Aerospace Day at the Capitol, and will aim to bolster support for the state’s tax credit for research and development, which companies can use to offset a portion of their Georgia income tax liability.
The R&D tax credit is “very important to many of these companies,” Bentley said.
Another priority is developing future talent through STEM programs, research and technical training at colleges, universities and technical colleges — and driving economic development “to ensure that Georgia remains at the forefront of aerospace and defense innovation and research and development,” Bentley said.
Georgia Tech has an aerospace engineering program, the University of Georgia has a college of engineering, and Kennesaw State University was recently approved for a new aerospace engineering degree, while there are aviation maintenance programs and other programs at technical colleges around the state.
“We want to keep those graduates right here at home,” Bentley said.
Other states such as Alabama, Michigan and Mississippi have similar industry groups.
“There’s always competition. … We want Georgia to remain globally competitive,” Bentley said. Aerospace is “the backbone of many parts of our economy.” She said the new group is funded by its member companies, and the alliance has received no public funding.
Aerospace across the state
Aerospace is the second-largest industry in the state behind agriculture, and the No. 1 sector for exports, including Gulfstream jets, aircraft produced in Marietta by Lockheed Martin and other planes and parts made around the state. About 200,000 people in Georgia work in jobs related to aerospace, according to the state Department of Economic Development.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
The industry is varied and widespread around the state, including crop duster manufacturer Thrush Aircraft based in Albany, an Archer Aviation electric air taxi manufacturing plant just built in Covington, single-engine aircraft maker Maule Air in Moultrie and hypersonic plane developer Hermeus in Doraville.
Three aerospace products were recently named finalists for the “coolest thing made in Georgia” by the Georgia Chamber — Gulfstream jets, Lockheed Martin’s C-130J Super Hercules plane and Archer Aviation’s Midnight electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft — with the C-130J named the ultimate winner last week.
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