Less than a month after BAE Systems dedicated a new $150 million 390,000-sq-ft factory in Austin, Texas, the aerospace electronics company celebrated the opening of a $100 million 278,000-sq-ft facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Serving as home to BAE Systems’ Navigation and Sensor Systems (NSS) business, the facility enables the company to bring together some 800 systems design and production employees into a single location.
BAE Systems has delivered more than 1.5 million devices for more than 280 airborne, ground, and weapon system platforms, producing advanced GPS technology compatible with the next-generation M-Code signal, improving security and anti-jamming capabilities for defense applications.
“The first GPS signal ever received on Earth was received here in Cedar Rapids,” said Luke Bishop, director of the navigation and sensor systems unit. “We’re building on our legacy of innovation, and we’re supported with the tools and resources to do it.”
The company called the addition part of a broader strategic investment it is making across the U.S. to facilitate business growth, increase manufacturing capacity, and accommodate workforce expansion. In addition to Austin, BAE has recently opened facilities in Huntsville, Alabama, and Manchester, New Hampshire.