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Dallas-Fort Worth Aerospace-Defense
Dallas-Fort Worth is one of the most concentrated US aerospace and defense substrates, anchored by Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth F-35 Lightning II production facility, Bell Textron's Fort Worth headquarters and Mirabel rotorcraft operations, Raytheon Technologies' McKinney defense electronics campus, plus the broader DFW defense supplier ring spanning aircraft systems, missile components, defense electronics, military aviation MRO, and continued federal defense contracting substrate. Combined DFW aerospace and defense employment exceeds 100,000 positions across the metroplex; combined annual revenue across the major DFW aerospace and defense operators substantially exceeds $30 billion.
DFW's specific position within the broader US aerospace and defense substrate is structurally distinctive. The combined DFW aerospace and defense substrate operates at scales comparable to peer US defense concentrations (Greater Los Angeles, Northern Virginia / DC area, Greater Boston / New England, Wichita) but with continued integration with the broader Texas Triangle defense-industrial substrate that no peer geography matches.
DFW Aerospace and Defense Operators
| Company | Location | Primary Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Aerion Supersonic (legacy operations) | Melbourne FL / DFW substrate | Supersonic Aviation R&D |
| Aerojet Rocketdyne (L3Harris) | DFW metro | Propulsion, Defense Electronics |
| Airbus Helicopters | Grand Prairie | Rotorcraft Manufacturing, MRO |
| American Airlines | Fort Worth (HQ) | Commercial Aviation, Operations |
| Avinity Aviation | DFW metro | Aviation Services, MRO |
| BAE Systems | Fort Worth, Greenville | Defense Electronics, Avionics |
| Bell Textron | Fort Worth (HQ), Hurst, Amarillo | Rotorcraft, V-280 Valor, V-22 Osprey |
| Boeing | DFW metro | Aerospace Systems, Defense Engineering |
| Boeing Global Services | Plano | MRO, Defense Sustainment |
| Collins Aerospace (RTX) | DFW metro, McKinney | Avionics, Defense Electronics |
| CPI Aerostructures | DFW metro | Aerostructures, Subassemblies |
| Elbit Systems of America | Fort Worth | Defense Electronics, Communications |
| Embraer Executive Jets | DFW metro | Business Aviation, MRO |
| Emcor Aviation | DFW metro | Aviation Services, MRO |
| Garmin Aviation | DFW metro | Avionics, Navigation Systems |
| General Dynamics Mission Systems | DFW metro | Defense Electronics, C4ISR |
| General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems | DFW metro | Munitions, Defense Manufacturing |
| GKN Aerospace | DFW metro | Aerostructures, Engine Components |
| Honeywell Aerospace | Richardson | Avionics, Defense Electronics |
| Howmet Aerospace | DFW metro | Engineered Components, Fasteners |
| Kaman Aerosystems | DFW metro | Aerostructures, Composites |
| Kratos Defense and Security Solutions | DFW metro | Unmanned Systems, Defense Engineering |
| L3Harris Technologies | Greenville (Mission Networks), Dallas | Defense Electronics, Mission Aircraft Integration |
| Leidos | DFW metro | Defense IT, Systems Engineering |
| Lockheed Martin Aeronautics | Fort Worth (F-35 Lightning II final assembly, F-16 production) | Fighter Aircraft Manufacturing, Stealth Programs |
| Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control | Grand Prairie | Missile Systems, Hypersonics, JASSM/LRASM |
| Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems | DFW metro | Defense Systems Integration |
| Mercury Systems | DFW metro | Defense Electronics, Embedded Systems |
| Moog Aircraft Group | DFW metro | Flight Controls, Actuation Systems |
| Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth | Fort Worth | Naval Aviation, Reserve Operations |
| Northrop Grumman | DFW metro, McKinney | Defense Electronics, Mission Systems |
| Otto Aviation | DFW metro | Aircraft Manufacturing, Celera 500L |
| Parker Aerospace | DFW metro | Hydraulics, Fuel Systems |
| Peraton | DFW metro | Defense IT, National Security Engineering |
| PrecisionHawk | DFW metro | Drone Systems, Aerial Data Services |
| Raytheon Technologies (RTX) | McKinney (Defense Electronics campus) | Missile Systems, Sensors, Defense Electronics |
| RTX Pratt & Whitney | DFW metro | Aircraft Engines, F-35 F135 Engine |
| Saab Defense and Security USA | DFW metro | Defense Electronics, Sensors |
| Safran USA | Grand Prairie | Aircraft Systems, Helicopter Engines |
| SAIC | DFW metro | Defense IT, Systems Integration |
| Sierra Nevada Corporation | DFW metro | Defense Aviation, Mission Systems |
| Spirit AeroSystems | DFW metro | Aerostructures, Aircraft Components |
| Standard Aero | DFW metro | Engine MRO, Component Repair |
| Textron Aviation | Fort Worth, broader DFW | Business Aviation, Defense Aviation |
| Triumph Group | DFW metro | Aerostructures, Aerospace Systems |
| United Launch Alliance (ULA) | DFW metro | Space Launch Systems, Defense Launch |
| Vought Aircraft Industries (Triumph) | Grand Prairie | Aerostructures, Defense Components |
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