Taking Off in Georgia

A fleet of innovative new companies working at the limits of advanced technology could reshape the aerospace industry – and Georgia is one of the states at the epicenter.

Transformative Industry: Tim Lieuwen, professor and interim chair, the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech: photo Kevin Garrett.

While manufacturing heavyweights like Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney continue to be the backbone of Georgia’s aerospace sector, new entrants pioneering electric vertical take-off and lift (eVTOL) aircraft, hypersonic planes, space and interplanetary exploration, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and sustainable aviation fuels are aiming for the skies.

This combination helped Georgia earn the No. 2 ranking for aerospace attractiveness in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ 2022 guide to promising geographic locales for aerospace development. The ranking took into account cost, labor, infrastructure, industry, economy and tax policy.

The industry is backed by a large soup-to-nuts community of component manufacturers; precision machine companies; parts suppliers; maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities; engine parts manufacturers; flight management systems; providers and more.

By the state’s reckoning, Georgia’s 800 aerospace companies directly employ roughly 100,000 workers in aerospace-related occupations, giving a boost to the economy. Aerospace products are Georgia’s No. 1 export ($9.19 billion in 2021) and the state’s second-largest manufacturing industry, generating a $57.5 billion economic impact.

The importance of the industry coupled with aerospace engineering education is attracting innovative companies to Georgia.

Aerospace Education

The Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering (AE) at Georgia Tech is ranked first in the country for undergraduate education and fourth for graduate study. Not surprisingly, its research faculty, facilities and graduates are cited by many of Georgia’s new aviation companies as influencing their decisions to locate in the state. In 2022, the school raked in $40 million in annual research awards.

The Aerospace, Transportation & Advanced Systems (ATAS) Laboratory in Tech’s applied research arm, the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), supplements the academic side with advanced capabilities in many fields. Tim Lieuwen, the AE school’s interim chair, says some new areas of focus are urban air mobility, sustainable aviation, space and hypersonics.

“Ubiquitous urban air transportation is going to be a transformative industry,” Lieuwen says. “The AE school is leading the way on that and what the systems will look like.” A new 10,000 -square-foot hangar under construction will allow students to design and build small electric aircraft-like helicopters and air taxis. Lieuwen says the school works closely with jet-engine maker Pratt & Whitney to evaluate how engine performance is affected by sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) that have different densities and characteristics. The School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering is working on fuel development.

Model, Simulate, Manufacture: SpaceWorks Enterprises CEO John Bradford: photo Kevin Garrett.

Space exploration is another emphasis. Two huge vacuum chambers can simulate the vacuums of deep space to test electric propulsion systems, including satellites or the Mars Rover, Lieuwen notes. He says the AE School is also working on navigation control for hypersonic systems, developing large shock tubes that can simulate hypersonic velocities, as well as laser-based diagnostics. GTRI is developing plasma-based methods to produce high temperatures experienced by hypersonic vehicles in its ATAS Lab. Tech’s Center for Space Technology and Research is also working at the frontiers of innovation, as is GTRI’s Unmanned and Autonomous Systems group.

In addition to Georgia Tech, the state has six technical colleges with aerospace programs, and vigorous efforts are underway to attract high school students to the field. Middle Georgia State University’s School of Aviation in Eastman, Dodge County, offers a B.S. in aviation science and management aimed at turning out pilots with 500 hours of flying in small planes, as well as aviation managers. Associate degrees and certificates in aviation maintenance and structural technology offer careers in high-paying jobs. “We have to constantly update our program to keep pace with industry trends,” says school Dean Adon Clark.

Businesses Making, Advances in Space

Atlanta-based SpaceWorks Enterprises, founded in 2000 by John R. Olds, was a spinoff from Tech’s Space Systems Design Lab. Modeling, simulation and manufacturing take place in its 25,000-square-foot warehouse.

All-in-one: SpaceWorks Enterprises’ FuseBlox, a docking and connection device

Among SpaceWorks’ most interesting projects is Red-25, a small re-entry capsule about one meter in diameter that will enable materials to be returned from space on demand, eliminating the waiting period for services like SpaceX, says CEO John Bradford. This would include products manufactured in space like advanced materials, new drugs and biomedical products, or stem cells and organ replacements used in regenerative medicine.

“Our focus is on small payloads and on-demand return,” Bradford says. The product will be able to perform orbital free-flying, deep space and interplanetary missions.

Another product is FuseBlox, a patented, all-in-one spacecraft docking and connection device that enables secure structural attachment, power connectivity and data transfer. It can be used for on-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing in space.

Another space-focused company, Marietta-based start-up Atomic-6 is developing next-generation composite products that are stronger, lighter and faster for use in space, hypersonics, aerospace and ballistics. The firm says it built a chassis for the Mars rover prototype that is lighter than aluminum and stronger than steel.

Turnkey Program: Skyfire Consulting Founder and CEO Matt Sloane: photo Kevin Garrett.

In aerospace, it has constructed a battery enclosure for hybrid electric aircraft. And in hypersonics, it has developed a carbon-phenolic thermal protection panel able to withstand speeds of Mach 5 – 3,800 miles per hour. It has also won U.S. Air Force grants to advance manufacturing for next generation hypersonic weapon systems and to study ways to minimize damage micrometeroid and orbital debris can cause spacecraft, satellites and astronauts.

Drones on a Mission

The unmanned aerial vehicle business is also gaining a foothold in Georgia.

When Anduril Industries acquired Marietta-based Area-I, it announced plans to invest $60 million in a new manufacturing and research facility in Atlanta, creating more than 180 jobs and attracting world-class talent.

The company says its Agile-Launched, Tactically-Integrated, Unmanned System (ALTIUS) offers unrivaled endurance and payload capacity in its size class. ALTIUS can be tube-launched or air-launched and ready to operate in minutes. Swarms of them can operate together in a mesh network, the company says, allowing individual unmanned systems to collaborate and share data to achieve mission objectives.

Though intended primarily for military use, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found other uses for ALTIUS – hurricane research. “NOAA hurricane researchers have added a new tool to their toolbox,” the agency said.

Drones for peaceful uses are the focus of Marietta-based Skyfire Consulting. Skyfire is gaining a national reputation as a consultant for public safety agencies and companies that seek training on how to use and modify drones and comply with complex FAA regulations, says founder and CEO Matt Sloane. Recently, the company initiated a new “turnkey” program, Skyfire Response, that enables agencies to outsource Drone First Responder program setup and flying to Skyfire.

The company has branched out to serve law enforcement, like the Brookhaven Police Department, and companies that provide critical infrastructure like pipelines or the power grid, and for delivery of essential medical equipment to predetermined locations, Sloane notes. Skyfire also offers training for the U.S. Department of Defense and for friendly foreign military on systems bought from the U.S. government.

Flying Taxis and Speedier Travel

Back on earth, aircraft manufacturing is also rapidly advancing.

California-based Archer Aviation Inc. announced last November that it would locate its manufacturing facility for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in Covington, adjacent to the city’s municipal airport. Archer’s $118 million, 350,000-square-foot factory will be able to produce 650 aircraft a year. Construction is to be completed soon, with production beginning in 2024. It can be expanded by an additional 550,000 square feet to produce up to 2,300 aircraft annually. The state has provided an incentive package totaling 33% of its capital investment commitment.

Stellantis – the parent of Fiat, Chrysler and Peugeot car brands – announced in January that it would invest up to $150 million in Archer and offer its personnel and manufacturing expertise. In addition, the U.S. Air Force announced an investment of up to $142 million to buy six of Archer’s eVTOLs for use in personnel transport and logistics support.

Archer says this type of high-volume manufacturing facility is a first in the eVTOL industry. The factory will produce the company’s flagship Midnight aircraft, which can carry four passengers plus a pilot. Though it will have a range of 100 miles, its main target is trips of 20 to 30 miles, with a charging time of 10 minutes.

Personnel Transport: Archer Aviation’s electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft: photo Business Wire.

There are more than 100 companies designing and making eVTOLs, according to Jono Anderson, principal for strategy at KPMG US. Archer believes it stands out because of its design criteria and comfort, in addition to its technology, says Tosha Perkins, Archer’s chief people and partnerships officer.

She says the initial vision is for Archer to offer time-saving air-ride service from central cities to airports, like Manhattan to Newark. Agreements with United Airlines are already in place. Flights could be for business travel or just for convenience.

“We really see this as being for all consumers, not just the rich,” Perkins adds. Pricing is intended to be in the range of fares for car ride-share service.

Interestingly, Augusta Regional Airport is the only airport in the Southeastern U.S. to have an electric aircraft charger on site – even though none are currently based there, says Diane Johnston, business development director.

Upstart Hermeus is taking aircraft manufacturing in Georgia in a different direction. The Atlanta-based company is developing hypersonic aircraft intended to “radically accelerate air travel.” Its goal is to build planes that fly at Mach 5, five times the speed of sound.

Hermeus has the backing of several private equity and venture capital funds, raising $100 million in its Series B financing round. Among them is Raytheon’s venture capital group, RTX Ventures, which considers it a strategic investment.

The key feature of Hermeus’ aircraft is a unique, turbine-based combined cycle engine (TBCC). This hybrid between a turbojet – an airbreathing jet engine typically used in aircraft – and a ramjet – an engine that requires an assisted take-off like a rocket assist – produces enough thrust to achieve supersonic speeds, while also enabling operations at traditional airports.

Hermeus’ unmanned Darkhorse aircraft will be propelled by Pratt & Whitney’s F100 engine to Mach 2.8, when the ramjet will take over. Flight testing was funded with $60 million from the U.S. Air Force.

Hermeus also intends to pursue the commercial market. In 2021 it signed a research and development agreement with NASA to develop the Halcyon, a passenger aircraft capable of travelling over 125 trans-oceanic routes at hypersonic speeds.

Military and Business Aircraft

In contrast to newcomers like Archer and Hermeus, Lockheed Martin has been a fixture in Marietta since the early 1940s. Located next to Dobbins Air Reserve Base, its enormous C-130 Hercules aircraft – the longest-running military aircraft production line in U.S. history – can be seen in the skies above Atlanta and in 70 countries on six continents.

Hypersonic Air Travel: The Hermeus Quarterhorse: photo contributed.

Today, the Marietta plant focuses on manufacturing the C-130J Super Hercules – about 24 a year – and the F-35 Center Wing Assembly. However, the plant is awaiting the go-ahead for approval to begin production of a new aircraft, says spokesperson William P. Bradley. Instead of a C-130, this job would involve converting an Airbus A330 manufactured in Mobile into an LXMT strategic tanker aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. The plane would allow service members to carry out their most critical missions at extended ranges by enabling refueling of other military aircraft.

Pratt & Whitney is a major player in Georgia’s aerospace sector. The aircraft engine maker is investing an additional $206 million in its Columbus plant to expand its capabilities with new machinery, equipment and a warehouse. The investment will create 400 new jobs, adding to the plant’s existing workforce of 2,000.

Savannah-based Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. is another household name in Georgia. The company has also delivered more than 200 aircraft modified for special missions to government and military customers in 40 countries and all branches of the U.S. military, according to Gulfstream President Mark Burns.

Gulfstream has also been a leader in the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) it sources from California-based World Energy. In May, its new Gulfstream G700 set a speed record using SAF to fly from Savannah to Tokyo in 13 hours.

“One of the ways that we promote SAF [sustainable aviation fuel] is setting long-range city-pair speed records to demonstrate that SAF performs the exact same way as traditional Jet-A and to help prompt further demand for fuels,” Burns said.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul

The California company that powers Gulfstream’s engines will soon face competition from a Georgia company. Soperton, a city of 2,889 people in rural Treutlen County, rose to prominence in 2022 when Chicago-based LanzaJet Inc. began construction there of what it says is the world’s first alcohol-to-jet sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production plant.

Production at the Freedom Pine Fuels plant is scheduled to start in 2024. The goal is 10 million gallons of SAF and renewable diesel a year, using a range of sustainable, low carbon intensity ethanol, including from waste-based feedstocks. LanzaJet’s investors and partners include Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund, Shell Oil, Airbus, Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy and more.

Another SAF biorefinery, AVAPCO in Upson County is an affiliate of Atlanta-based American Process Inc., which was acquired by Brazil’s GranBio in 2019. AVAPCO was awarded $80 million by the U.S. Department of Energy in January 2023, which will be used to construct and operate a 1.2 million-gallon-per-year biomass-to-cellulosic SAF and renewable diesel demonstration plant.

When airplanes need components or parts, the list of suppliers in Georgia is long and varied. The state ranks 10th in the country for MRO facilities, including the Delta TechOps Services Group (DTSG) and Northrop Grumman Corp.

When parts are hard to come by, many airlines turn to Peachtree City-based Aventure Aviation. The company sources retired airplanes, has them torn down and their parts refurbished by approved companies, and stocks thousands of aircraft replacement parts in its warehouse for sale to airlines, says CEO Zaheer Faruqi. All parts are certified and traceable. Aventure exports its parts to some 70 countries and has six international offices.

Attracting aerospace companies to Georgia is the job of the Department of Economic Development. Keeping them happy once they arrive is the job of the Georgia Center of Innovation’s aerospace team, including Gary O’Neill, the center’s senior aerospace and defense specialist and coordinator of the unmanned aircraft systems working group.

And keeping the entire system in the air is no small task. Says David Nuckolls, executive director of the Center of Innovation, “We have to know who is here now, what their needs are, what does the best ecosystem look like and how can we help move them forward?”

It seems to be working.