Aerospace & Defense

Secure. Scalable.
Strategically Positioned.

Mesa is a premier aerospace and defense hub anchored by Mesa Gateway and Falcon Field airports, offering mission-critical infrastructure, abundant industrial space, and a highly skilled workforce. Industry leaders such as Boeing, Gulfstream, Virgin Galactic, Nammo Defense Systems, and Northrop Grumman have chosen Mesa as home—underscoring the city’s reputation as a center of excellence for advanced manufacturing, engineering, space innovation, and defense operations.

With pro-business policies, strong supply-chain connectivity, and room to scale, Mesa enables aerospace and defense companies of all sizes to innovate, expand, and operate with confidence in a community built to support mission success.

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Pro-business, collaborative culture: Programs and incentives, low taxes, and a responsive, can-do environment accelerate aerospace and defense growth and expansion.

Ample, cost-competitive space: Aviation-ready land, industrial facilities, and scalable sites near two airports support manufacturing, MRO, testing, and R&D.

Skilled, growing workforce: Strong STEM education, aviation programs, and industry partnerships provide a reliable, specialized talent pipeline for A&D employers.

Arizona Industry Highlights

#1

leads the nation in concentration for guided missile and space vehicle manufacturing.
– Lightcast, 2024

#3

in aerospace manufacturing attractiveness.
– PwC, 2025

Top 5

for largest employment in A&D manufacturing.
– Lightcast, 2024

62K+

A&D workers.
– Lightcast, 2024

Companies Choosing Mesa

Able Aerospace
Aerocast International
Amphenol Aerospace
ATP Flight School
Aviation Performance Services
Aviatize
Blue Road Enterprises
The Boeing Company
CAE Oxford Aviation Academy
CAU Aeronautical University

Cessna
Cunningham Aviation
Embraer
FlightSafety International
Garmin
Gulfstream
Hadrian
Heliponents, Inc.
Inter-Coastal Electronics
KP Aviation

MD Helicopters
Nammo Defense Systems
Northrop Grumman
PHI Air Medical
Precision Heli-Support
Rosotics
SEEOP
Serastar
Silverado Cable
Southwest Heliservices

Task Aerospace
Times Microwave Systems
Top Aces
Trident Military Systems
Unical
Valkyrie Aero
Van Horn Aviation
Virgin Galactic
WireMasters

Business Friendly

Mesa offers one of the nation’s most business-friendly climates with low taxes, no primary property tax, and powerful incentives. Opportunity Zones, the Mesa Military Reuse Zone, and Foreign Trade Zone #221 provide significant tax savings, duty advantages, and investment benefits, creating unmatched value for growing and relocating companies.

Incentives

Educated Workforce

Mesa, Arizona offers aerospace and defense companies access to a deep, highly ranked talent pipeline. Arizona State University (ASU), ranked among the nation’s top engineering programs, provides aerospace-focused degrees in Aerospace, Mechanical, and Industrial Engineering. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s #1-ranked Regional Colleges West engineering program further strengthens the region’s aviation expertise.

Mesa Community College supports industry with a hands-on avionics and aircraft electrical cabling program, while Chandler-Gilbert Community College offers drone technology certificates aligned with the growing unmanned systems sector.

Arizona’s NASA Space Grant Consortium—anchored by ASU, the University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University—advances aerospace research and STEM workforce development, producing industry-ready talent that fuels innovation and long-term growth.

Workforce

Mesa Airports

Mesa’s two airports—Falcon Field Airport and Mesa Gateway Airport—anchor a powerful aviation ecosystem supporting aerospace, defense, MRO, cargo, and R&D operations. Falcon Field is one of the most active general aviation airports in the nation, serving as a key hub for corporate aviation and aerospace activity.

Mesa Gateway Airport continues to break commercial passenger records, surpassing two million passengers in 2025, while also offering international cargo capacity and customs services that support global logistics and aerospace supply chains.

With long runways, development-ready land, and access to skilled talent, Mesa provides unmatched capacity for companies to operate, innovate, and scale within a connected regional aviation network.

Boeing’s Mesa facility has been a cornerstone of Arizona’s aerospace community for more than four decades. As the production hub for the AH64 Apache and home to advanced fabrication centers for wiring, composites, and metals, Mesa plays a central role in rotorcraft advancements while creating jobs, skills, and longterm community value. Boeing’s strong partnerships with the city, local industry, educational institutions, and its engaged workforce make Mesa an ideal place for Boeing to grow and innovate.

– Christina Upah,

Vice President of Attack Helicopter Programs and Senior Mesa Site Executive, The Boeing Company