Aerospace Manufacturing in Georgia

Since 2015, more than 40 aerospace-related facilities have located or expanded operations, creating more than 2,500 jobs. The presence of several global leaders in aerospace manufacturing here creates a diverse mix that includes OEMs, R&D, MRO, transportation services, hypersonics, cyber security operations and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Georgia is the ideal place for aerospace companies to find research partnerships and to hire skilled workers. More than 200,000 Georgians work in aerospace-related occupations, from aerospace engineers to machinists to CNC tool operators. New engineering graduates enter the field each year, including those from Georgia Tech — one of the leading producers of aerospace engineers in the country.

Middle Georgia State University is one of only nine institutions in the U.S. to offer degrees in aviation ranging from master's degrees to one-year certificates. These FAA-certified programs focus on maintenance, flight training and air traffic control collegiate training. Over the past five years, Middle Georgia State University has produced more than 650 graduates with aviation credentials.

The Technical College System of Georgia offers a variety of aerospace-related degree and certificate programs to both develop a pipeline of qualified workers and enhance the skills of existing workers. Programs include two-year degrees, one-year diplomas and fast-track certificates in many relevant fields. For more information on Georgia’s technical college system, visit www.tcsg.edu.

Enriching this constant stream of new graduates is a number of veterans who are discharged from our military bases each year. All are well-trained and highly disciplined, and companies like Pratt & Whitney and Gulfstream are proud to have a contingency of veterans as part of their workforce.

Additionally, Georgia offers qualifying companies access to customized workforce training at no cost. Continuously ranked the No. 1 workforce training program in the nation, Georgia Quick Start is the premier partner for developing and delivering the needed talent for the aerospace industry.

In fiscal year 2019, our universities and colleges spent $2.7 billion in research and development (R&D), an increase of 23% from FY16. Research is the backbone of the Georgia Tech Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, which spent more than $163 million on R&D expenditures in FY2019. Active research programs include multidisciplinary projects in:

• Aerodynamics and fluid mechanics
• Aeroelasticity and structural dynamics
• Propulsion and compulsion
• Structural mechanics and materials
• System design and optimization

The Center of Innovation for Aerospace actively supports high-growth potential aerospace companies, using state-backed resources to provide access to academic intellectual capital, advanced university research and industry expertise.

Private sector companies in Georgia are also very active in aerospace R&D. Generation Orbit, for example, is developing the X-60A which will serve the hypersonic flight test and suborbital research communities with an affordable air-launched single-stage liquid booster.

Georgia’s strategic location in the Southeast’s space cluster makes it ideally situated for companies in the space industry. During the 1960s, Camden County in Georgia was one of the finalists in NASA's search for a potential launch site. NASA later tested rockets there. Georgia went on to become a leading producer of satellite communications technologies and a top developer of space industry talent. Learn more about Georgia's space industry.

Georgia’s rapidly expanding Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) industry spans research, design, manufacturing and operations. Georgia has the workforce, knowledge base, research capacity and facilities to provide a great location for any business in the unmanned systems arena. Our prominence in industries from film to agribusiness offers a large customer base for UAS companies. 

In the private sector, the vibrant technology start-up community and innovative applications for UAS create opportunities for companies like Airbus Aerial, Area I, Atlanta Drone Group, Flyover Services, Phoenix Air Unmanned and many others. A number of Georgia-based startups, such as Skyfire Consulting and VersaTOL, have made rapid strides in the past two years in developing innovative applications for UAS, including civilian use of first responder and smokestack inspection drones.

Georgia ranks 7th in Department of Defense spending nationwide. The Center of Innovation for Aerospace maintains an online database of Georgia defense contractors to facilitate opportunities for company connections and growth. In the Georgia Defense Exchange, contractors can be searched by NAICS, PSC or certifications.