By Jerry Underwood
Made in Alabama
Aerojet Rocketdyne officially launched work this week on a new 136,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing facility in Huntsville, reinforcing the status of Alabama’s “Rocket City” as a major center for innovation in the aerospace and defense sectors.
At a groundbreaking, Aerojet Rocketdyne President and CEO Eileen Drake said the company’s expansion plans will bring roughly 800 jobs to Huntsville. Earlier this year, Aerojet Rocketdyne announced plans for the new manufacturing facility, where it will produce its AR1 rocket engine, composite cases for rocket motors, 3-D printed rocket engine components and other parts. It will begin production in 2019.
That followed an earlier announcement that the company was relocating its Defense division headquarters and Rocket Shop advanced programs to Huntsville, where it has had a presence for more than 50 years.“Our major expansion in this region that started in 2016 underscores Aerojet Rocketdyne’s belief that Huntsville, which is known as ‘Rocket City,’ will continue to grow as a key aerospace and defense hub for our nation for many decades to come, and Aerojet Rocketdyne plans to be a leader in that growth,” said Drake, a former Army aviator who trained at Alabama’s Fort Rucker.
Please visit Alabama News Center for the Full Article
