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Tag: Boeing Co.

Boeing lands $2.56B Air Force contract

Boeing has won a $2.56 billion U.S. Air Force contract for two rapid prototype E-7A airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) Wedgetail aircraft, the Arlington-based Fortune 500 aerospace and defense company announced Friday.

The contract modification to a previously awarded undefinitized contract action includes life-cycle development, training and support for the Air Force’s E-7A fleet. The E-7A Wedgetail provides targeted tracking and battle management command-and-control capabilities to joint forces for a “first to detect, first to engage” advantage, according to a news release.

“Our customers have an urgent need for integrated battle-space awareness and battle management,” Dan Gillian, vice president and general manager of Boeing Defense, Space & Security’s Mobility, Surveillance & Bombers division, said in a statement. “The E-7A is the airspace linchpin to continuously scan the skies, command and control the battle space and integrate all-domain data, providing a decisive advantage against threats.”

Based on the Boeing 737-700 Next Generation airframe, the E-7 AEW&C aircraft is used by the Royal Australian Air Force, Republic of Korea Air Force (designated the E-737 Peace Eye) and Turkish Air Force (designated the E-7T Peace Eagle).

In addition to building the rapid prototype aircraft for the U.S., Boeing is producing three E-7As for the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force. The heads of the Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force and the U.S. Air Force signed a joint vision statement in July 2023 outlining their agreement to collaborate on the Wedgetail’s development.

Also, in November 2023, NATO ordered six E-7A Wedgetail aircraft to replace its E-3A Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, which it has operated a fleet of since the 1980s, for an undisclosed amount.

“Global operators are proving that the E-7 AEW&C is a critical node for air superiority in the modern battle space,” Stu Voboril, Boeing vice president and E-7 program manager, said in a statement. “In our partnership with the U.S. Air Force, we’re focused on stable, predictable execution to deliver crucial mission-ready capabilities today. This will put us on the path for the long-term growth of the aircraft and mission.”

Work on the U.S. contract will be performed in Tukwila, Washington, and is expected to be completed by Aug. 28, 2029, according to the U.S. Defense Department.

Boeing’s assembly process for its 737 Max 9 aircraft has come under scrutiny since a 4-foot wall panel blew out of a Boeing plane cabin during an Alaska Airlines flight on Jan. 5.

The Federal Aviation Administration conducted a six-week audit of Boeing and supplier Spirit AeroSystems, which Boeing announced plans to acquire for $4.7 billion on July 1. Boeing submitted an action plan to correct issues found in the audit to the FAA, which will have continued oversight of the company.

Last week, the National Transportation Safety Board held two days of hearings investing the door plug blowout. Testimony from Boeing workers and federal inspectors revealed systemic manufacturing problems.

Boeing’s new president and CEO, Robert “Kelly” Ortberg, started his tenure Thursday.

IALR hires new manufacturing advancement exec

Jason Wells will join the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research as executive vice president of manufacturing advancement on June 3, according to a release from the Danville-based economic development organization.

Wells, who has nearly three decades of experience in high-performance manufacturing, replaces Todd Yeatts, a former senior manager for government operations for The Boeing Co., who left the job in August.

Wells hails from Kyocera SGS Tech Hub, a manufacturing and research hub in Danville that’s part of the cutting tool division of Kyocera, where he was president. Previous to that, Wells worked at Illinois-based YG-1 America, a global cutting tools manufacturer, as director of U.S. Tech Center Operations and for SGS Tool, which Kyocera purchased in 2016, as global product manager and director of product development and marketing.

In addition to being the primary inventor on six product patents recognized in several countries, Wells serves on several boards, including the advisory board of Great Opportunities in Technology and Engineering Careers (GO TEC), a vocational education initiative that introduces middle school students to fields like precision machining, welding and IT coding and networking.

In his new role, Wells will oversee the operation and strategic direction of the Center for Manufacturing Advancement, which helps manufacturers introduce new and emerging technology into their operations and provides other services to industry leaders. Additionally, the CMA is also home to the Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence, which is used to accelerate and scale additive manufacturing parts and qualification processes.

Wells’ responsibilities will also include overseeing additional training programs, such as the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing program, a Navy and Department of Defense initiative designed to train individuals for skilled trades like welding, CNC machining, quality control inspection, nondestructive testing and additive manufacturing. In 2025, the program is expected to reach full capacity and will graduate between 800 to 1,000 individuals annually.

“As the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research continues to expand into a leading hub for high-value, high-tech companies and growing, targeted industries like advanced manufacturing, placing globally-minded and accomplished leadership at the helm is critical,” said Telly Tucker, IALR’s president, in a statement. “I am excited to welcome Jason Wells to IALR and have full confidence that his comprehensive industry expertise and proven commitment to the community will position us well to serve the manufacturing optimization, technology and workforce training needs of advanced manufacturers.”

36 Va. companies make 2023 Fortune 1000 list

Thirty-six Virginia-based companies made Fortune magazine’s 69th annual Fortune 1000 list, notably including newcomers to the commonwealth Raytheon Technologies Corp. and Boeing Co. as Virginia’s second and third highest-ranking companies. Freddie Mac remained Virginia’s top-ranked company, at No. 45, and 24 Virginia companies made this year’s elite Fortune 500 list.

Released Monday, the Fortune 1000 list ranks the 1,000 largest United States corporations by total revenue, including public companies and private companies for which revenue information is available.

Aerospace and defense companies Raytheon and Boeing both moved their headquarters to Arlington County from out of state last year. In 2022, Raytheon Technologies, then based in Massachusetts, was 58th on the list. Last year, Boeing, based in Chicago at the time, ranked No. 60.

Notably, Goochland County-based used vehicle retailer CarMax Inc. jumped 50 slots on the 2023 Fortune 500 list, rising from No. 174 last year to No. 124 this year. CarMax raked in $660.8 billion in fiscal year 2023 revenue, down 5.5% from the $699.5 billion it brought in in FY22. As of Feb. 28, the retailer had a total of 240 used car stores. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, the company opened five retail locations in Chicago; Asheville, North Carolina; Indianapolis; College Station, Texas; and Amarillo, Texas.

Henrico County-based convenience retail holding company Arko Corp., which debuted on the Fortune 500 last year at No. 498, moved up almost 40 slots to No. 460. Arko is the parent company of Richmond-based GPM Investments LLC. One of the nation’s largest convenience store chains, GPM’s brands include Fas Mart and E-Z Mart. Arko reported $9.14 billion in 2022, up from almost $7.42 billion in 2021. In 2022, Arko completed two acquisitions, marking 22 acquisitions since 2013, and announced two pending acquisitions: Transit Energy Group LLC, which closed in March, and Quarles Petroleum Inc., which closed in July 2022.

The biggest slides on this year’s Fortune 500 list were seen from Henrico County-based insurance holding company Markel Group Inc., which dropped 63 slots to No. 352, and DXC Technology Co. in Ashburn, which dropped 48 slots, from No. 207 to No. 255. Markel changed its name from Markel Corp. on May 26. In 2022, Markel reported $49.79 billion in total assets, up from almost $48.48 billion in 2021. DXC Technology reported $14.43 billion in FY23, down from $16.26 billion in fiscal year 2022.

New to the Fortune 1000 list this year, coming in at No. 907, is McLean-based government contractor V2X Inc., which formed from the 2022 merger of Colorado-based government contractor Vectrus Inc. and Mississippi-based The Vertex Co.

Tysons-based real estate investment trust Park Hotels & Resorts Inc. reappeared on the list this year at No. 997, but Lynchburg-based nuclear components and fuel supplier BWX Technologies Inc., which was ranked No. 995 in 2022, was knocked off the 2023 list.

Last year, 34 Virginia companies made on the Fortune 1000 list, with 21 in the Fortune 500.

This year, 10 of Virginia’s Fortune 500 companies are based in Fairfax County, which makes it the Virginia locality with the most Fortune 500 companies. The metro Richmond area, including Hanover, Henrico and Goochland counties, has the second most, with five companies.

These are the Virginia-based companies that made the 2023 Fortune 1000 list, in order of ranking:

45) Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. (“Freddie Mac”), McLean

57) Raytheon Technologies Corp., Arlington County

58) Boeing Co., Arlington County

91) Performance Food Group Co., Goochland County

105) General Dynamics Corp., Reston

106) Capital One Financial Corp., McLean

113) Northrop Grumman Corp., Fairfax County

124) CarMax, Goochland County

144) Dollar Tree Stores Inc., Chesapeake

194) Altria Group Inc., Henrico County

242) Dominion Energy Inc., Richmond

255) DXC Technology Co., Ashburn

288) Leidos Holdings Inc., Reston

327) AES Corp., Arlington County

352) Markel Group Inc., Glen Allen

375) Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., Newport News

376) NVR Inc., Reston

390) Owens & Minor Inc., Mechanicsville

431) Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., McLean

449) Beacon Roofing Supply, Herndon

452) Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp., McLean

460) Arko Corp., Henrico County

479) Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), Reston

486) Genworth Financial, Henrico County

564) CACI International Inc., Reston

679) Maximus Inc., Reston

688) ASGN Inc., Glen Allen

693) Brink’s Co., Henrico County

723) Parsons Corp., Centreville

755) Graham Holdings Co., Arlington County

856) Tegna Inc., McLean

901) Gannett Co. Inc., McLean

907) V2X Inc., McLean

932) NewMarket Corp., Richmond

968) AvalonBay Communities Inc., Arlington County

987) Park Hotels & Resorts Inc., Tysons

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect General Dynamics Corp.’s and Northrop Grumman Corp.’s current addresses and the total number of Fortune 500 companies in Fairfax County.

Boeing reaches $40B deal with Ryanair

Irish air carrier Ryanair plans to order as many as 300 Boeing 737 MAX-10 aircraft from Arlington County-based Fortune 100 contractor Boeing Co. in a $40 billion deal, the two companies announced Tuesday.

Subject to approval by Ryanair’s stockholders, the deal includes a firm order from the airline for 150 aircraft and an option for another 150 aircraft, with delivery to start in 2027 and continue through 2033, said Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary. Each jet will have 228 seats — about 40 seats more than Ryanair’s previous fleet.

About 150 of the 737 MAX-10 jets will replace older jets in Ryanair’s fleet. The jets are expected to grow Ryanair’s passengers from 168 million passengers annually to more than 300 million annually by 2034, creating 10,000 jobs for pilots, cabin, crew and engineers across Europe in the next decade.

O’Leary said the aircraft use fuel efficient, greener technology, offer 21% more seats, burn 20% less fuel and are 50% quieter than older jets in its fleet.

The low-cost airline plans to use the new fleet to lower airfares in Europe over the next decade, he added, saying that Ryanair follows the model of Southwest Airlines, also a Boeing customer. 

“The Boeing-Ryanair partnership is one of the most productive in commercial aviation history, enabling both companies to succeed and expand affordable travel to hundreds of millions of people,” Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun said in a statement. “Nearly a quarter century after our companies signed our first direct airplane purchase, this landmark deal will further strengthen our partnership. We are committed to delivering for Ryanair and helping the airline group achieve its goals.”

Boeing has received a number of large orders recently, many from the Pentagon.

In April, Boeing received a $313.4 million contract modification to upgrade and extend the service life of 25 Navy Super Hornet fighter jets, the Pentagon announced. In March, Boeing announced it would build 184 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters for the U.S. Army and international customers under a $1.9 billion contract modification announced by the Pentagon. In January, Boeing said it would help the Air Force expand its fleet of KC-46A Pegasus tanker aircraft under a $2.25 billion contract modification announced by the Pentagon.

Last November, Boeing announced a series of leadership changes and a reorganization to consolidate its eight divisions within its Boeing Defense, Space and Security unit into four as the company aimed to accelerate its operational discipline, quality and performance. That followed a report in October 2022 from Reuters that the company’s defense unit appointed a new chief operating officer to shore up money-losing defense programs as it dealt with delays and cost overruns on fixed-price contracts. 

On the commercial airline front, Boeing has faced problems with its 737 Max, 787 Dreamliner and 767 jets in recent years. In April, The Wall Street Journal reported that Boeing paused delivery of some of its 737 Max jets because parts were installed wrong. That followed a halt in January of delivery of its troubled 787 Dreamliner over documentation issues. The program had previously been halted by U.S. regulators for nearly two years prior after problems surfaced with the aircraft, and the Federal Aviation Administration launched a review of its production in 2020, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

Boeing is the world’s third largest defense contractor. In May 2022, the company moved its headquarters from Chicago to Arlington County. A month after announcing the move, the company and Virginia Tech announced a partnership to open the Boeing Center for Veteran Transition and Military Families at the university’s $1 billion Innovation Campus in Alexandria, which is expected to open in 2024.  Support for the center comes from a record $50 million donation the company made to Tech in 2021 to support diversity at the graduate campus.

Playing defense

What’s in a name? Perhaps a lot if you’re riding on the coattails of Boeing Co. and Raytheon Technologies Corp.

The May and June 2022 announcements that Fortune 100 contractors Boeing and Raytheon would move their corporate headquarters to Arlington County generated plenty of buzz, but they didn’t dazzle like the 2018 announcement of Amazon.com Inc.’s multibillion-dollar HQ2 East Coast headquarters coming to Arlington. That may be, at least in part, because the Boeing and Raytheon announcements didn’t come with similar headline-grabbing capital investment or job-creation figures.

What the headquarters moves did do, however, is instantly make Virginia the center of the defense contracting universe. With Boeing and Raytheon joining Northrop Grumman Corp. and General Dynamics Corp., Virginia is now home to four of the world’s five largest defense contractors and aerospace companies. (The largest, Lockheed Martin Corp., is based in nearby Bethesda, Maryland.)

The news also brought validation that the Washington, D.C., region is a marquee location for tech, aerospace, defense and adjacent industries.

“Anytime you get a major corporation locating your headquarters in town, that’s a bragging point. It seems to matter,” says Terry Clower, director of George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis. “I don’t have a formula that tells you what the economic value of that is, but it’s one that … it makes sense, because it’s deepening and broadening your corporate network infrastructure for the region.”

And Arlington economic development officials hope to build on these big headquarters wins.

“They’re kind of like the equivalent of the home run,” says Arlington Economic Development Director Ryan Touhill, who started in the role in November 2022, about the headquarters moves.

Neither Boeing, which was previously headquartered in Chicago, nor Raytheon, which called Waltham, Massachusetts, home, have discussed much about their moves publicly other than a desire to be located closer to government clients and industry partners.

Raytheon has about 130 corporate staffers in Rosslyn, a number that hasn’t increased, though the company has “slightly expanded its footprint,” says spokesperson Chris Johnson, who also cites the region’s multiple international airports as a factor for its move. And, while Raytheon CEO Gregory Hayes won’t be relocating to Virginia, Johnson has previously said Hayes is expected to spend a lot of time here.

Similarly, Boeing already had about 400 employees in Arlington’s Crystal City area, and its move didn’t involve any major job relocations. According to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, Boeing’s relocation brought 150 new jobs and $5 million in investment. Connor Greenwood, a company spokesperson, could not confirm the accuracy of those figures, nor did the company respond to questions about plans for a research and technology hub it pledged to establish with its move.

Nevertheless, home runs like these headquarters moves can help Arlington hit economic development singles, doubles and triples by helping the county draw smaller, emerging companies that “benefit from the things that the larger companies attract,” Touhill says, adding that the county is “seeing a good amount of aerospace interest.”

In the wake of Boeing and Raytheon’s announcements, Arlington economic development officials increased outreach to target companies and industries, says Michael Stiefvater, acting director of Arlington Economic Development’s Business Investment Group. “We’ve done a bit of a campaign to reach out to companies in the aerospace and defense industry following those announcements,” he says.

Along with positive publicity from the announcements, the county has heard “good things” in its communications with site selectors, brokers and companies, Stiefvater adds. While that hasn’t translated into immediate deals, he chalks that up to uncertainty in the post-pandemic office market environment.

The county has, however, received “quite a few” requests for proposals from consultants, “which is a nice change,” Stiefvater adds. “It was really quiet, basically since the beginning of the pandemic through this fall, in terms of corporate headquarters deals.”

Those RFPs haven’t yielded results the county can announce yet, but Stiefvater says they’re a signal that “we’re in competition.

“I’m imagining, you know, Boeing, Raytheon certainly probably played a role in catching people’s attention and hopefully got us on the short list or a final list.”

Navy awards Boeing subsidiary $463M contract

Fairfax-based Argon ST Inc. has received a $463 million Navy contract to procure and produce sensor components for fielding in manned and unmanned aircraft, the Pentagon announced Friday.

Argon ST is a wholly owned subsidiary of Arlington-based aerospace contractor Boeing Co. Under the contract, Argon ST will procure various Multi-Intelligence Sensor Development (MISD) Sensor Suite components for use in aircraft. The company will also provide engineering support for the Navy, foreign cooperative partners and foreign military sales customers.

According to the Pentagon announcement, 75% of the work will be performed in Fairfax, with the remaining 25% taking place in Germantown, Maryland. Work is expected to be complete in January 2028.

In a February 2021 pre-solicitation notice, Naval Air Systems Command said that Argon ST is “the original designer, developer and manufacturer” of the MISD Low Band Sensor Suites used by the Navy and Army and determined that the company was the only one with the expertise to fulfill its needs.

Founded in 2001, Argon develops command, control communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) and combat systems to its clients. Boeing acquired the company, which is a division in the Boeing Defense, Space & Security unit, in August 2010.

Boeing has more than 140,000 employees worldwide. The company reported $62.2 billion in revenue in fiscal 2021.

Boeing defense unit announces leadership shifts, reorganization

Arlington-based Boeing Co. Thursday announced a series of top leadership changes and a reorganization to consolidate its eight divisions within the Boeing Defense, Space and Security unit into four.

Boeing said the changes, effective immediately, are aimed at accelerating its operational discipline, quality and performance and at streamlining senior leadership roles and responsibilities.

According to a news release, there are four new divisions within BDS:

  • Vertical Lift will be led by Vice President and General Manager Mark Cherry.
  • Mobility, Surveillance & Bombers will be led by Vice President and General Manager Dan Gillian. The division includes the KC-46, SAOC, E-7, VC-25B, P-8, Bombers, AWACS/AEW&C, 777X components and executive transport programs.
  • Air Dominance will be led by Vice President and General Manager Steve Nordlund. The division includes classified programs, the F/A-18, F-15, T-7, MQ-25 and MQ-28 programs and the nonspace portfolio of BDS’ advances prototype arm, Phantom Works, including it Virtual Warfare Centers. Nordlund will also become the senior site executive for the St. Louis region.
  • Space, Intelligence and Weapon Systems, led by Vice President and General Manager Kay Sears. The division includes space exploration and launch programs, satellites, munitions, missiles, weapon system deterrents, maritime undersea, Phantom Works Space and several subsidiaries, including Boeing Intelligence and Analytics. Jim Chilton, senior vice president for space and launch programs, will continue to manage those programs, as well as satellites and Phantom Works Space, until Feb. 4, 2023, after which point he will become a senior adviser focusing on space ventures to Boeing Defense, Space and Security President and CEO Ted Colbert.

“I am confident this reorganization will drive greater and more simplified integration and collaboration across Boeing Defense, Space and Security,” Colbert said in a statement. “These changes will help accelerate operational discipline and program quality and performance, while stabilizing our development and production programs. These are necessary steps to put BDS on the path to stronger, profitable growth.”

BDS’ previous eight divisions were Autonomous Systems; Space and Launch; Vertical Lift; Bombers and Fighters; Missiles and Weapons; Mobility and Surveillance; Phantom Works; and International Government and Defense.

In October, Reuters reported that BDS appointed Steve Parker chief operating officer in an effort to shore up money-losing defense programs as the company deals with delays and cost overruns on fixed-price contracts. Parker previously led BDS’ bombers and fighters division, and oversaw its 15,000 employees in St. Louis as a senior executive. He is now responsible for manufacturing and safety, total quality, supply chain and program management functions for BDS, Boeing spokesperson Paul Lewis told Virginia Business in an email.

In addition to the consolidations, Tim Peters, vice president and general manager of mobility and surveillance, and Cindy Gruensfelder, vice president and general manager of missile and weapon systems, will retire after assisting with transitions.

As part of the announcement, Plano, Texas-based Boeing Global Services, which provides aviation parts and engineering to commercial, defense and space customers, will integrate its domestic and international government services into one organization led by Torbjorn “Turbo” Sjogren, vice president and general manager of BGS’ government services, the company said.

BDS, based in Arlington, employs about 15,000 people in 15 countries and 48 states and its revenue in 2021 was $26.5 billion. It is one of three Boeing business units. In May, the company announced it was moving its corporate headquarters to Arlington, from its previous home in Chicago.

Raytheon wins $985M Air Force hypersonic missile contract

Raytheon Technologies Corp.’s missile and defense division has received the go-ahead from the Air Force to move beyond the prototype phase and continue development of a new hypersonic cruise missile weapon under a nearly $1 billion contract announced by the Pentagon Thursday.

The Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile is an air-launched, maneuverable weapon propelled by a scramjet engine that allows it to travel up to five times the speed of sound. The HACM is designed to hold high-value targets at risk in contested environments from standoff distances, the Air Force said in a news release. Under the $985 million contract, Raytheon will design, develop, and ready the missile for integration with fighter aircraft. Work is expected to be complete by March 2027.

“HACM will provide our commanders with tactical flexibility to employ fighters to hold high-value, time-sensitive targets at risk while maintaining bombers for other strategic targets,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. said in a statement.

Raytheon and Boeing Co., both based in Arlington, and Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockhead Martin Corp. were awarded 15-month contracts in 2021 under the Air Force’s Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experimen (SCIFire) to develop air-breathing hypersonic cruise missile prototypes. The United States and Australia teamed up under SCIFiRE in 2020 for the prototype program. As part of the agreement, the HACM’s initial full-system test flights will be launched using Australian infrastructure.

Raytheon’s missile is powered by an engine developed by Falls Church-based Northrop Grumman Corp. A test flight of its weapon in July propelled it for more than 300 nautical miles and reached altitudes higher than 60,000 feet at speeds reaching greater than five times the speed of sound, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency said. DARPA is a partner with the Air Force on the project.

The U.S. has been scrambling to catch up with China and Russia in the race to develop hypersonic missiles. Russia last month said it had deployed three Kinzhal, or “Dagger,” missiles in a special military operation in Ukraine, Reuters reported. U.S. intelligence was caught by surprise when China tested hypersonic missiles around the globe in July 2021, according to the Financial Times.

Raytheon announced in June that it was moving its headquarters from Massachusetts to Virginia. It is the second-largest defense contractor in the world. That move followed a May announcement from Boeing that it was moving its headquarters from Chicago to the commonwealth.

Boeing will move global HQ to Arlington

The Boeing Co., the world’s third-largest defense contractor, is moving its global headquarters from Chicago to Arlington, the company announced May 5.

With more than 141,500 employees worldwide and operations in more than 65 countries, the aerospace and defense company will be the largest defense contractor headquartered in Virginia.

Boeing already employs 400 people at its 4.7-acre campus in Arlington’s Crystal City — near Amazon.com Inc.’s HQ2 and Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus. Boeing spokesperson Paul Lewis told Virginia Business that there will be “no major job relocations” accompanying the headquarters move. Boeing also plans to develop a research and technology hub in the area, leveraging a $50 million gift to Virginia Tech that Boeing made in May 2021, according to another company spokesperson, Connor Greenwood. Boeing did not provide details such as a time frame for the move or how much the company is investing.

In a statement following the announcement, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun, a Virginia Tech alumnus, thanked Gov. Glenn Youngkin and U.S. Sen. Mark Warner for helping to secure the deal, which The Wall Street Journal reported had been in the works for months.
In 2017, Boeing moved its defense unit from St. Louis to Arlington to be closer to the federal government and Pentagon officials.

“We are excited to build on our foundation here in Northern Virginia,” Calhoun says. “The region makes strategic sense for our global headquarters, given its proximity to our customers and stakeholders and its access to world-class engineering and technical talent.”

Youngkin says the move shows Virginia “is the premier location for aerospace companies.”

Virginia Economic Development Partnership President and CEO Jason El Koubi agrees. “Boeing and other high-caliber firms are attracted to the commonwealth’s combination of diverse, world-class engineering and tech talent, strategic location and exceptional quality of life,” El Koubi says. “Boeing’s new research and technology hub will further strengthen Virginia’s innovation ecosystem in areas like cybersecurity, autonomous operations, quantum sciences and software and systems engineering.”

Boeing also has research centers in St. Louis; Huntsville, Alabama; Charleston, South Carolina; and Cambridge, Massachusetts. A Boeing aeronautics research subsidiary, Aurora Flight Sciences, is located in Manassas. Boeing’s new Arlington-area research center will provide the company “with the ability to develop technology and talent, and see its implementation in real systems,” Lewis says.

Virginia Business Associate Editor Courtney Mabeus contributed to this article.

Iridium taps Boeing exec for board

McLean-based satellite network operator Iridium Communications Inc. announced that Boeing executive Kay Sears has been elected to its board of directors.

“We are fortunate to have such an accomplished executive with a keen understanding of our industry join our Board of Directors,” Iridium CEO Matt Desch said in a statement. “Kay has a finger on the pulse of the industry, and we look forward to her helping further the Iridium mission as we continue this era of strong subscriber growth and increasing free cash flow.”

Sears serves as vice president and general manager of autonomous systems for The Boeing Co.’s Boeing Defense, Space and Security unit, which she joined in February. In this role, Sears oversees development of autonomous technologies, intelligence capabilities and networking solutions. Boeing, the world’s third-largest defense contractor, announced May 5 that it is relocating its global headquarters to Arlington from Chicago.

Before joining Boeing, Sears worked as vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s Military Space unit, and before that, she was vice president of strategy and business development. Sears previously was president of Intelsat General Corp. She also served as a senior vice president for PanAmSat Corp.

Sears holds a bachelor’s degree in business and economics from the University of Richmond and an MBA in information systems from The George Washington University.

Iridium operates a constellation of 66 satellites providing communications services such as broadband, voice and data communications. The company reported total 2021 revenue of $614.5 million.