Aerospace: Soaring to Ever-Higher Heights

There’s more than wind sweeping down the Oklahoma plains — there’s a steady stream of planes sweeping down as well.
Aerospace is Oklahoma City’s second-largest sector and, with its increasing diversity, has its sights set skyward.

Why are aerospace firms so captivated by this Capital City? Is it the location squarely in the center of the country? A cost of doing business that’s better than almost any other metro? Incentives that cater to aerospace? The ready-made workforce that’s waiting on the runway? Or maybe it’s simply Oklahoma City’s wide-open skies and oft-sunny days?

Perhaps all of the above is why more than 290 companies have landed in OKC. Some of the worldwide giants are here — names like Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman — as well as innovative leaders like Kratos Defense & Security Solutions and Meta Special Aerospace. Together with Tinker Air Force Base and FAA’s Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, they’re propelling an economic jet-engine that’s become a $11.6 billion annual business.