Aerospace & Defense
Skywriting a Legacy of Aviation
Some of the world’s most prominent aerospace companies operate in Oklahoma, like NORDAM, L3Harris, and American Airlines. Tulsa’s robust aerospace sector employs 46,233 people across 250+ businesses in Tulsa. Tulsa is also home of the Tulsa Air National Guard, the 138th Fighter Wing and the world’s premier multi-role fighter — the F-16C Fighting Falcon.
Tulsa Community College and the University of Tulsa (TU) each offer degrees and certificates in aeronautical and aerospace engineering technology. TU, a private higher education institution, offers programs that focus on unmanned aerial systems. Additionally, Oklahoma State University offers programs in aerospace engineering, administration and computer science, to name a few.
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ACES
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Tulsa Air National Guard
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Available land
A state-led program for industry expertise
Oklahoma’s vast aviation knowledge culminates here in Tulsa. Bolstering Tulsa’s Aerospace & Defense industry is Oklahoma’s ACES initiative, a program that realizes seventy-five percent participation rate from sector businesses. The state-led initiative facilitates trade show services, hiring events, and in-depth documentation and reporting about the aerospace and defense industry.
The nation’s premier air force
Protecting the nation’s interests requires precision and expertise in the aerospace and defense industry. The Tulsa Air National Guard Base is home of the 138th Fighter Wing and has a rich history of serving our nation through operations in the Persian Gulf War and the Iraq War. The base has 21 primary assigned aircraft and is the second largest F-16 Air National Guard Fighter Wing.
Industry clusters help maximize investments in aerospace & defense
The skies aren’t the only thing that’s wide open in Tulsa. Tulsa offers hundreds of acres of land ripe for development for the aerospace industry. Over 700 acres of land are available at the Tulsa International Airport alone, and significant opportunity is available outside of Downtown Tulsa, including West Tulsa Industrial, the Sheridan Corridor and the U.S. 169 Industrial and Development Corridor.
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