Aerospace & Defense (AeroDef)

Fast Facts

  • NC has 200+ Aerospace Companies and 400+ Aerospace Suppliers
  • 135,000+ active duty, reserve, and guard soldiers
  • Largest military presence on the East Coast
  • 15,000 - 18,000+ exiting military personnel each year
  • 7 military installations
  • $3.4 billion annual spending by DoD
  • 74% of all military contracting in NC occurs in the SE region
  • University engineering degree and certificate programs
  • Institute for Aeronautical Technology
  • North Carolina Global TransPark
  • Fleet Readiness Center East
  • NC Military Business Center

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North Carolina’s Southeast has developed a world-class aerospace and defense region that offers access to numerous benefits. Assets in workforce, education, and the military support the expansion and growth of companies throughout the region. Located centrally on the East Coast, the region offers aerospace and defense companies excellent logistics and distribution, a skilled workforce in metalworking and composites, and global companies in the industry that have a manufacturing base. The region is home to the NC Aerospace Corridor which is anchored by the NC Global Transpark and supported by Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and Fleet Readiness Center East.

Being the home to seven major military installations, the North Carolina’s Southeast region has the largest military presence on the East Coast. Annually, more than 15,000 exiting military personnel who are well-equipped with the skills needed for success in this industry are available to support a company’s workforce needs. These skillsets include logistics, aviation, mechanics, leadership, and technology-based systems applications. Several programs are available that link these exiting military personnel with existing companies and those that are looking to establish a presence in the region.

With a presence this impressive, it should be no surprise that companies in the aerospace and defense industries find North Carolina’s Southeast Region to be an excellent location for their business.

NCSE Military Installations

  • Fort Liberty (Army)
  • Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
  • Marine Corps Air Station New River
  • Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
  • Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point
  • Pope Army Airfield
  • Seymour Johnson Air Force Base

Companies in the Region