After two years of construction, Aurora Flight Sciences’ new 50,000-square-foot expansion is projected to increase production at the facility by up to four times and create more than 30 new jobs over the next four years.

On Wednesday, state officials and Aurora leadership gathered at the manufacturing facility near the Golden Triangle Regional Airport to ceremonially cut the ribbon on the site’s expansion and improvements to existing production facilities.

“We’ve grown to what you see today,” Luke Colville, president and CEO of Aurora, said to a crowd of more than 100 community leaders, dignitaries and employees. “A 170,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing facility. When Aurora first expanded to Mississippi 20 years ago, we had one customer, (and) one program. Today, reflecting on that journey we’ve taken, I’m proud to say our customer base has significantly grown, our projects have multiplied and our accomplishments have reached new heights.”

Headquartered in Virginia, Aurora Flight Sciences opened at the Lowndes County Industrial Park in 2005. The company specializes in the design, testing and production of unmanned aircraft systems and was acquired by Boeing in 2017.

Its Lowndes facility started at 21,000 square feet and has since grown to include more than 170,000 square feet after its most recent expansion.

The project also included renovations of roughly 40,000 square feet of the building’s existing infrastructure and the construction of new automation equipment, robotics, capability and non-destructive inspection technologies, Colville said.

“A small portion of that was additional office space,” Colville said. “… But the bulk of that was we took what we used to have just (as a) hangar … and we renovated the hangar to be controlled manufacturing space.”

Colville said the goal with the $43 million project was to increase production at the facility from roughly 30,000 pounds of hardware to anywhere from 90,000 to 120,000 pounds annually.

Gov. Tate Reeves, who spoke at the event, said that kind of expansion shows the success Aurora has had in Mississippi since constructing its original facility and its intent to continue to benefit the region.

“What days like today say to us … is (that industries have) been here,” Reeves said. “They know the quality of the people that work here. Companies like Aurora and Boeing do not invest capital in places, (and) they do not commit to hiring more people in places where they don’t already know that we can get the job done. … This is what momentum looks like, and this is what happens when companies and great teams and great people work together, and Mississippi isn’t slowing down any time soon.”

Since expansion construction began in 2024, Aurora has hired about 40 new employees for mostly skilled technician positions, Colville said, adding that Aurora expects to hire another 36 employees over the next four years to help meet its increased production goals. The site currently has 120 employees.

Though Colville did not specify the salaries of those new positions, he said they are expected to be “competitive” with manufacturing salaries in the local area. Meryl Fisackerly, CEO for the LINK, said the average manufacturing employee salary sits around $64,000 in the Golden Triangle.

U.S. 1st District Rep. Trent Kelly said he hopes to see Mississippi State University and East Mississippi Community College graduates fill many of those Aurora positions.

“We’re also bringing in this talent from other states, (and) I think that’s so important,” Kelly said. “Mississippi used to be a place when I grew up as a kid. We had to go. ‘Where can I go to be successful? What state do I need to go to? Where do I need to go?’ … Now, kids in other states are going, ‘I can go to Mississippi and make it worthwhile,’ and that’s thanks to companies like Aurora.”

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker echoed Kelly’s sentiments.

“People educated at East Mississippi Community College and Mississippi State University can live and come up and work and prosper in a free and peaceful country because nobody is willing to take us on,” Wicker said.

U.S. 3rd District Michael Guest said the continued growth of Aurora showcases the need for investment in defense spending by the country more broadly.

“Aurora provides critical components and support for the United States Navy, Air Force, Army, and for the NASA mission as the future of warfare changes and evolves,” Guest said. “Aurora Flight Sciences will continue to lead as our military prepares to fight the wars and battles of tomorrow.”

Aurora in 2024 received a 10-year ad valorem tax exemption from the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors for the proposed expansion.

District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks, whose district includes Aurora, said he was pleased to see the fruits of that incentive Wednesday at the facility.

“One of the things is when you start providing incentives, especially financial ones. At the end of the day, you actually want to see the results,” Brooks said. “You want to know the investment you’ve made (is) real, and (see) the kind of impact that they’ll have on the community. … It’s exciting to see this.”