Near Columbus, Mississippi, a subsidiary of Boeing called Aurora Flight Sciences is planning a major expansion and renovation that will add well-paying jobs to the local economy. Aurora is an advanced research-and-development firm that focuses on unmanned and experimental aircraft, as well as autopilot systems. It also produces advanced components for both commercial and military aircraft in a factory that currently encompasses 120,000 square feet. This is significant growth from the situation in 2005 when Aurora began its Mississippi facility with only 21,000 square feet of space.
Aurora plans to add 50,000 square feet of new factory space at this existing facility near the Golden Triangle Regional Airport. In addition, it will renovate some 40,000 square feet of existing factory space, creating a total of 90,000 square feet of transformed factory space for new production. Within this 90,000 square feet of new capacity, some 60 full-time jobs will be created, adding to the 100 workers already on staff. This additional capacity will benefit local partners in employment, education, and training, including Mississippi State University (MSU) and East Mississippi Community College (EMCC).
U.S. Aircraft Industry is a World Leader and Major Exporter
The work of Boeing and Aurora Flight Sciences is important on the global stage, as the United States is a world leader in aircraft production. In fact, Boeing is the nation’s largest exporter by dollar value, as its airliners are worth millions of dollars apiece! A majority of the company’s airliners go to foreign airlines. On a broader scale, the United States is the world’s largest exporter of aircraft. In recent years, Asian countries like China, Malaysia, and Singapore have been the fastest-growing importers of American-made aircraft.
It is important that Boeing and Aurora work hard to maintain competitiveness: growing powers like China are developing higher quality domestically-produced aircraft every decade. The U.S. risks losing market share of airliners to new companies in Asia. A major rival is COMAC (Commercial Airline Corporation of China), the state-owned producer of airliners created in 2008. Boeing also faces intense competition from longtime European rival Airbus, which has outpaced Boeing in sales for the past five years. However, as fully or partially state-owned enterprises, both COMAC and Airbus might not be as competitive as Boeing without government support.
Manufacturing Jobs are Flourishing in the South
Aurora’s expansion of its Mississippi facility is not surprising, as lots of American manufacturing has migrated to the South and West since the 1970s. Southern and Western states have seen population growth during the last few decades, meaning deeper labor pools for companies looking to expand. Additionally, many Southern states have been proactive about encouraging industry investment, including Mississippi. The state offers many incentives for new businesses, typically in the form of subsidized loans and/or tax credits. By partnering with a nearby community college and a nearby university, Boeing may be able to get a 25 percent rebate on its research and development (R&D) costs!
Combined with grants and tax credits from the federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, Mississippi may be able to attract even more industrial growth in 2025!
