Aerojet Rocketdyne plans massive facility in Huntsville

[Caroline Davis]

Exciting news for Huntsville, AL!

Aerojet Rocketdyne, which makes rocket engines and motors for the aerospace and defense industry, will expand its Huntsville operations with more jobs in a 379,000-square foot manufacturing facility near Huntsville International Airport, the aerospace and defense contractor said today.

Operations in the leased building will begin in 2023 and “allow Aerojet Rocketdyne to increase manufacturing capacity for the nation’s defense production needs,” the company said. It will take some work from the company’s Camden, Ark., location but the amount was not specified. The move “better positions the Camden site to support continued growth of vital energetics capabilities for defense programs across multiple domains,” the company said.

For comparison, the new facility will be slightly larger than two Orion amphitheaters and smaller than Bridge Street Town Center’s 550,000 square foot shopping center.

“Huntsville has been home to Aerojet Rocketdyne’s Defense Headquarters since its founding, and with this expansion of both talent and space, we’re pleased to grow our presence in the Rocket City,” said Eileen P. Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and president.

Aerojet Rocketdyne calls Huntsville its Inert Manufacturing Center of Excellence. The company also designated Huntsville for its Defense Business Unit headquarters in 2016 citing “the engineering expertise in the area, close proximity to its government and prime contractors as well as collaborative support from local and state leaders.” It has won multiple jobs in that arena since the decision including work in hypersonics and opened a big new rocket propulsion Advanced Manufacturing Facility in north Huntsville.

The company did not say how many new jobs it plans to fill in Huntsville, and a spokesperson was not immediately available. It has more than 800 employees in the city now.

https://www.al.com/news/2022/1...