General Atomics to expand Ohio footprint more than sevenfold with U.S. Air Force drone hub near Wright-Patterson and 50 new jobs

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems will open a 22,000-square-foot innovation hub near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in spring 2027. The project expands the company’s Ohio footprint more than sevenfold and is expected to add about 50 jobs focused on modular hardware, software, autonomy and rapid integration. A mission operations centre will support remote aircraft control, training and demonstrations, while laboratories will enable prototyping and testing. Proximity to the Air Force Research Laboratory and Air Force Life Cycle Management Center is intended to shorten collaboration and acquisition cycles for uncrewed aircraft programmes.