Alexis Elmore reports on a UK-based semiconductor company’s project in North Carolina; BAE’s expansion in Rochester, Kent, UK; and a massive $5 billion sustainable aviation fuel project from DG Fuels in Moorhead, Minnesota, part of the bistate Fargo metro area.
Bell Textron’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) will be developed and manufactured at sites in Kansas and Texas.
Photo courtesy of Bell Textron
The Wichita metro area home to Winfield (above) is also home to Textron Aviation, where Bell Textron last week announced the site selection for the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) fuselage assembly. “Textron has a rich history with the state of Kansas as well as the city of Wichita,” said Lisa Atherton, president and CEO of Bell Textron, “and we are proud to deepen that relationship as we establish this new facility.” The company said supporting work will take place at several of Bell’s advanced manufacturing facilities in Texas, including Bell’s Advanced Composite Center in Fort Worth. Final assembly of the aircraft will occur in Amarillo.
“The U.S. Army’s new long-range assault aircraft will fly twice as far and twice as fast as the current fleet,” the company said. “By utilizing mature tiltrotor technology coupled with an innovative digital engineering approach and a modular systems approach, it will be the most reliable, affordable and high-performing long-range assault aircraft in the world.”
The 15.8 million military veterans in the United States in 2023 represented 6.1% of the total civilian population age 18 and over, says the U.S. Census Bureau, which last week released new data on veteran-owned businesses. Based on the Bureau’s 2022 Annual Business Survey, the top sectors for firms owned by military veterans were professional, technical and scientific services and construction, which together accounted for more than 99,000 companies. In 2021, veteran-owned businesses generated $922 billion in revenue, about 5.3% of the total $17.4 trillion of all classifiable employer businesses.
This photo depicts the newly unveiled Manufacturing and Technology Center (MTEC) at the revitalized Richard J. Daley College Campus in southwest Chicago, one of seven independently accredited colleges and five satellite sites within the City Colleges of Chicago system. The campus was established in 2019 in the predominantly Latino community. “Since the campus revitalization, student enrollment has increased by 120%, a testament to the impact of creating a space that ignites excitement, fosters pride, and reinforces the belief that education is a transformative force for both individuals and communities,” says JGMA, the architecture firm behind MTEC.
