Governor Ralph Northam announced today that Aurora Flight Sciences, a pioneer in unmanned aircraft and autonomous flight, will invest more than $13.75 million in the City of Manassas. Acquired by Boeing last year, the company will expand its City of Manassas headquarters to include a state-of-the-art robotics facility with a research and development lab, a light manufacturing unit, professional office space and a hangar. With more than 450 current employees, this expansion will create an additional 135 high-wage jobs in a community that has become a regional hub for industries in aerospace and defense.

These new jobs will pay an average salary of more than $100k a year. The City of Manassas and Virginia faced fierce competition against Puerto Rico, Alabama, and West Virginia for the company's investment.

This is the second major expansion for Aurora, a testament to the City's leading role in advanced manufacturing. With its small-town charm and big-city opportunities, the City of Manassas is attracting Virginia's top talent. It's a regional employment center in Northern Virginia with more than 20,000 people commuting into this city of 43,000 each day to work at jobs in financial services, health care, homeland security and defense contracting. It also has the 4th highest concentration of professional and technical jobs in the Commonwealth, a current unemployment rate of 2.3%, and the 16th highest per capita income in Virginia.

"In Virginia we're proud of our leading position in the aerospace industry, and that is only strengthened by companies like Aurora Flight Sciences that continue to grow and thrive in our Commonwealth," said Governor Northam. "More than 275 aerospace firms call the Commonwealth home, thanks to our world-class workforce, competitive business climate, and technology infrastructure. Virginia is proud to partner with Aurora in this next phase of growth, and we thank them for choosing to expand in Manassas."

"Aurora is a vital part of the Manassas business community and exemplifies everything a locality wants from its corporate partners - steady growth, community engagement, and great jobs – helping make us a regional employment center with one of the highest percentages of high wage jobs in professional and technical services in Virginia, especially for companies engaged in the fields of aerospace and advanced manufacturing," said Mayor Harry J. Parrish II. "I am honored that Aurora has again chosen to expand its operations here."