Business Climate

• Second lowest cost of living nationally and eighth for overall cost of doing business
• Competitive incentives and a streamlined state government
• Arkansas is one of 28 Right to work states
• Strong support from Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and our Congressional delegation

Education

• Arkansas is a leader in aerospace education in the South, offering a wide variety of certification programs and degrees with fields of study related to the aerospace industry available at 13 four-year universities and 22 two-year colleges 
• Five educational institutions offer certification in Aviation Maintenance Technology including both Powerplant and Airframe mechanic career education
• Southern Arkansas University Tech (SAU Tech) was the first school in the state to become certified as an aviation maintenance training facility with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Today, SAU Tech operates two certified schools, one in Camden and the other in Texarkana.
• Over 2,100 engineering-related certificates and degrees awarded annually

Industry Strength

• Home to nearly 180 Aerospace and Defense companies, including Dassault Falcon Jet, which has established its largest facility in the world in central Arkansas, along with Lockheed Martin, Aerojet Rocketdyne, General Dynamics, and other industry leaders
• Aerospace and Defense is Arkansas’ leading export. In 2023, aircraft & aircraft parts were Arkansas’s largest category of export with over $850M dollars in goods exported.
• Numerous available sites with runway access and aviation-focused facilities

Workforce

• 10,900 employees in Aerospace and Defense manufacturing; 6,196 directly engaged in aerospace products and parts manufacturing 
• The Little Rock Air Force Base has 7,462 personnel, including civilians, active duty, and Army Reserve Force
• Since 2010, 10,000+ aerospace and defense jobs have been created in Arkansas.

Aerospace and Defense in Arkansas

Aerospace and Defense has played a vital role to Arkansas' economy with almost 180 companies in the industry calling the Natural State home. That success is built on a long history as old as aviation itself – more than 150 years of innovation. That’s when Arkansan Charles McDermott, through a lot of research and testing, received a patent and began development on a “flying machine.”

In 1908, the Hot Springs Airship Company opened shop and production began on “flying dirigibles.” These engineering marvels used breakthrough technology that allowed them to be powered and steered as opposed to free floating like a balloon. 

Just two years later, Arkansas’ first well-documented flight by pilot James C. “Bud” Mars took place in Fort Smith. 

When World War I broke out, Eberts Training Field near Lonoke ranked second among aviation training fields maintained by the U.S. government, and in 1925, the 154th Observation Squadron was established in the Arkansas National Guard. The unit served in combat during World War II and is now the 189th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base.

Some of the top names in aviation are associated with Arkansas aviation history, including Charles Lindbergh, Louise McPhetridge Thaden, Frederick W. Smith, James Smith McDonnell, and Tuskegee Airmen Woodrow Crockett, William Mattison, Herbert Clark, and Richard Caesar.

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Arkansas offers a range of competitive incentives for businesses looking to open, expand or relocate.