- The Utah advocacy group 47G convened a two-day aerospace and defense conference in Salt Lake City.
- Aerospace and defense accounts for 20% of Utah's GDP and hundreds of thousands of jobs.
- The state is leading out on key areas like electric autonomous flight, advanced materials and defense contracts.
While a lot quieter than the F-35 fighter jets that roar in and out of the installation, northern Utah’s Hill Air Force Base is the epicenter of a massive project aiming to upgrade the aging fleet of U.S. intercontinental ballistic missiles and rebuild hundreds of launch silos.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. William “Buck” Rogers, portfolio acquisition executive for ICBMs and director of the ICBM Systems Directorate, heads a team of over 2,000 tasked with maintaining the Minuteman III missiles, first put into service in 1970 and now decades beyond their original term of expected life span.
Rogers, based at Hill, is also leading the $140 billion Sentinel program to design and deploy the next generation of ICBMs while updating 450 silos located in five states. He said his team is working closely with Northrop Grumman, the lead contractor on the project and the biggest aerospace and defense employer in Utah. They plan to conduct the first Sentinel test flight next year with a goal of deploying the new missiles in the 2030s.
Rogers, and his colleague, Air Force Brig. Gen. Kenneth McGhee, operations advisor for intercontinental ballistic missiles, delivered an update on the project at the opening day of Utah aerospace and defense advocacy group 47G’s Zero Gravity Summit at the Salt Palace Convention Center on Wednesday.
The Sentinel project is just one node of Utah’s fast-growing aerospace and defense sector, which currently generates nearly 20% of the state’s overall GDP, over $50 billion annually, while directly and indirectly supporting around 500,000 jobs in the state, according to the organization.
What’s going on with aerospace and defense in Utah?
Aaron Starks, 47G president and CEO, laid out the depth and breadth of the organization’s efforts to keep the critical business sector on a growth trajectory.
“Four and a half years ago, we set out with a very bold vision,” he said during remarks at the conference. “We were not going to be an association that went to Washington, D.C., or to Capitol Hill here in Utah, and focus on policy alone,” he said.
“We wanted to create a movement. We wanted the mission that would bring all pillars of the ecosystem together, industry, government, academia and our industry affiliates or the organizations that were delivering services and programs to the industry itself — tax advisory, legal work, etc. And we’ve done that. And now 240 organizations make up what is now the 47G family.”
A handful of announcements shared Wednesday help illustrate the expanse of 47G’s efforts including:
- Plans for a new technology and aerospace museum at Thanksgiving Point which will include a 3D digital dome theater.
- Southern Utah University’s selection as one of NASA’s Aerospace Skilled Technical Workforce Hubs.
- Eagle Mountain’s plans to create a new advanced air mobility hub in the city, one of the fastest growing communities in the country.
Jon Gruen, CEO of Utah-based Fortem Technologies, discussed his company’s work in developing advanced radar systems and drone defense capabilities that include a system that can capture rogue drones.
“Our ground-based radar system can monitor airspace and deploy a (defensive) drone with tremendous accuracy,” he said. “And we can actually capture a rogue drone in the air ... and tow it away.”
Gruen said the threat from drones being used for nefarious purposes is on the rise as the aircraft become cheaper and more capable. He also noted the proliferation of drone use in international conflicts.
“Ukraine changed the dynamic of drone warfare ... it was a first inflection point in that change,” he said. “Now, when you look at the Iranian conflict, or any international conflict, every single one of them has drone warfighters.”
The advent of electric flight
On the civilian aircraft front, Utah is playing a forward role in the innovation and advancement of electric autonomous flight as airports around the state are in the process of installing charging infrastructure to enable the beginning of commercial operations for electric-powered aircraft.
Joby Aviation and Beta Technologies are both 47G partners and leading innovators in autonomous electric aircraft and each company is working toward FAA certification. That would open doors for small-scale commercial operations, such as delivering parcels and medical supplies, before advancing to passenger service. For now, those planes include a pilot but autonomous systems are advancing rapidly.
Utah has already earned a place in the FAA’s Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) Integration Pilot Program, one of only eight states chosen to participate. The state’s uFly, overseen by the Utah Department of Transportation, is a three-year program aiming to “test advanced electric aircraft and other emerging aviation technologies in real-world operations.” uFly partners include BETA Technologies, Ampaire, Joby Aviation, Lockheed Martin, Future Flight Global, Alpine Air, Jump Aero and 47G, according to UDOT.
At the 47G summit, Joe Block, Beta Technologies lead for charge network development, celebrated Utah’s role in advancing the new flight systems.
“Utah is in a very unique position, across the U.S. and, really, across the world,” he said. Block noted the state is in a leading position when it comes to building out infrastructure to support emerging electric aircraft operations.
The Zero Gravity summit, which drew some 2,500 attendees on its opening day, continues on Thursday with speakers addressing a wide range of topics including next-generation jet flight, advanced composite materials innovation and high-tech manufacturing.
