Maryland economic development officials will join Howard County and local companies including those from St. Mary’s County to promote the State’s aerospace and defense industries at the 60th anniversary of the Farnborough International Air Show, which kicks off July 14 and runs through July 20 in Farnborough, England. The delegation, which includes seven MarylandPatuxent River, will be exhibiting in the Maryland Pavilion.
“Home to the nation’s highest percentage of professional and technical workers and an exceptional confluence of federal agencies, facilities, higher education institutions and businesses, Maryland is well-equipped to provide aerospace and defense companies with the resources and workforce they need to succeed,” said Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development Secretary David W. Edgerley. “This exhibition is one of the best opportunities to not only increase Maryland’s visibility in the global market, but also promote the State’s outstanding climate for aerospace and defense to international companies looking to expand.”
Considered one of the world’s largest aerospace exhibitions, Farnborough gives Maryland and its local partners a unique opportunity to meet with top-level executives from the world’s largest aerospace and defense firms to attract foreign investment projects, increase exports from Maryland manufacturers and service providers, explore transatlantic partnerships, generate projects for Maryland’s federal facilities and increase brand recognition of the Maryland region and infrastructure.
Maryland, one of a number of U.S states participating this year, will be exhibiting alongside more than 1,400 exhibitors from more than 38 countries. Nearly 300,000 visitors are expected during the exhibition, which is held every two years by the Society of British Aerospace Companies.
Maryland is continuing to build its reputation as a leader in the aerospace and defense industries. In addition to its well-qualified workforce, Maryland offers the benefit of close proximity to many federal agencies, like the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Security Agency, NASA Goddard, National Institutes of Health, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Naval Air Station Patuxent River and Aberdeen Proving Ground. NASA’s second largest spending operation with some 12,000 scientists, engineers and support personnel is Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. In addition, as Maryland implements the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) recommendations, the State’s role in homeland security and national defense will be significantly enhanced by an influx of Department of Defense programs and associated defense contractors.
Maryland is also home to a number of the world’s major aerospace and defense companies, including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman’s Electronic Systems Division, BAE Systems, ATK, ARINC, Orbital Sciences, SAIC, Battelle, General Dynamics and Hughes Network Systems.
This year, Maryland will be traveling to Farnborough with a record number of local partners, with many companies attending for the first time. In addition to Howard County and Naval Air Systems Command, the companies attending include Compass Systems (St. Mary’s County); Technical Systems Integration Inc. (St. Mary’s County); SURVICE Engineering Company (Harford and St. Mary’s County); Burntside Partners (Montgomery County); American Dynamics Flight Systems (Howard County); Automated Precision Inc. (Montgome