Northrop Grumman, one of the nation’s premier space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace companies, broke ground on Thursday on an expansion at its satellite engineering and manufacturing facility in Gilbert. 

A new 120,000-square-foot building at 1721 W. Elliot Road is expected to open in December and serve as administrative and engineering space. Northrop Grumman also is expanding its satellite manufacturing facility at the location to nearly double production capacity by 2021.  

The expansion will add approximately 200 jobs to the location’s more than 500 current employees and the East Valley’s more than 2,600 Northrop Grumman aerospace and defense workers. The additional jobs will be added over the next three years, company officials said. 

“This expansion marks another step forward in solidifying our Gilbert site as a state-of-the-art facility that provides high-quality, high-reliability space hardware in support of our domestic and international customers,” said Frank DeMauro, vice president and general manager of the company’s tactical space systems.

Northrop Grumman’s expansion is the latest development in a long history of aerospace, aviation and defense companies in the East Valley. 

Northrop Grumman in Gilbert, Chandler and Mesa  

In Gilbert, Northrup Grumman works on spacecraft manufacturing, particularly assembling and testing civil, commercial and defense satellites, according to the company.

Large bays inside its manufacturing building hold satellites that will ultimately be launched into space in collaboration with NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to collect data on Earth and its environment, such as weather, biodiversity and natural disasters.

The Gilbert employees working in the massive bays wear head-to-toe coveralls to prevent contaminating the satellites with body particles as they work.They add steel frames and solar panels to satellites and then test their functionality by simulating takeoff pressures, sounds and winds and the extreme temperatures and zero gravity of space.

The facility does everything “cradle to grave.” Workers design, build, test and then send the satellites on for their several years in space. 

Northrop Grumman also operates facilities in Chandler and Mesa. All three locations were run by defense contractor Orbital ATK until Northrop Grumman bought the company in 2018. 

The largest Arizona site, in Chandler, specializes in space launches and missile-defense work. The company opened a new 633,000 square-foot complex there in November and currently employs 1,907 in Chandler. 

In Mesa, the company produces cannon facilities for the U.S. and allied militaries. The Mesa facility employs approximately 235 people, according to company officials.

Northrop Grumman also has facilities in Sierra Vista and Fort Huachuca in southern Arizona.  

Aerospace, aviation and defense hub grows

Northrop Grumman is among many aerospace and defense companies in the East Valley. Arizona as a whole ranks high nationwide for these industries. 

The state has more than 1,200 aerospace and defense companies, according to the Arizona Commerce Authority. Arizona ranked ninth nationwide for “aerospace manufacturing attractiveness” in 2019 according to research group PwC. 

Much of this activity happens in the East Valley.  

TEMPE GROWTH:  4 Silicon Valley businesses and startups moving to Town Lake

The momentum started when Garrett AiResearch, the predecessor to today’s Honeywell Aerospace, opened a Phoenix facility in 1942. It was the Valley’s first major aerospace company, and when big-name Honeywell took it over in 1999, it gained “a foothold in the area” for other companies to follow, according to Mike Hutchinson, vice president of East Valley Partnership.  

Another big win came in the 1980s when Hughes Helicopter, a subsidiary of McDonnell Douglas, moved to Mesa. Boeing later acquired Hughes and McDonnell Douglas, and it remains one of Mesa’s biggest employers and an economic engine for the region. The Boeing facility builds the Army’s Apache helicopters.

“When a company like that makes a move, their suppliers want to be close,” Hutchinson said. “There’s a synergism that develops,” he said, with companies following other companies and the industry growing locally. 

The momentum has continued, with companies forming nodes around Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and Falcon Field Airport in Mesa and in business parks throughout East Valley cities.  

Some of the other major companies in the area today:  

• Lockheed Martin: Facilities in Mesa, Gilbert. 
• Honeywell Aerospace: Headquartered in Phoenix.
• General Dynamics: Space and communications facility in Scottsdale.
• Iridium Communications: Satellite company in Chandler.
• MD Helicopters: Builds helicopters for civilian and government use in Mesa.
• Many maintenance, repair and overhaul service providers at airports

‘We’re going to be hard to catch’

The East Valley initially gained traction in the industry because it was more fully developed with freeways and infrastructure than the West Valley, Hutchinson said. 

Once one big company came, others followed.  

The area continues to attract aerospace, aviation and defense companies for several reasons that include location, education and governments.  

Cities throughout the region have provided support and infrastructure such as water, wastewater, electricity and fiber connections, Hutchinson said.  

And the state provides incentives in the form of tax credits for research and development, new jobs and facility investments, property tax reductions and grants.  

Gilbert and Arizona did not provide any tax breaks or incentives for Northrop Grumman’s expansion, according to Chris Keeler, the company’s lead at the Gilbert site.

The region also has Arizona State University, which offers aerospace engineering and aviation programs. The Maricopa County Community Colleges have aerospace studies, including programs targeted by employers such as Boeing.  

And Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest and oldest university for aviation and aerospace, has a campus in Prescott and offers degrees at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale and Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix.  

FOR SUBSCRIBERS:  Pinal County sits on the brink of a major economic boom

DeMauro at the groundbreaking said Gilbert is an ideal location for aerospace and defense companies given its strong educational and STEM initiatives. 

“I like to think that I represent one of the smartest districts in the country — lots of advanced degrees and innovative companies,” state Rep. Jennifer Pawlik, D-Chandler, said. “With this investment by Northrop Grumman, we’re going to be hard to catch.”

Have a story about Mesa or Gilbert? Reach the reporter at [email protected] or at 602-444-4282. Follow her on Twitter @alisteinbach.

Support local journalism.Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/gilbert/2020/01/31/northrop-grumman-grows-gilbert-part-broader-metro-phoenix-east-valley-trend/4568620002/