Aerospace/Defense

Aerospace/Defense Map

VentureCrossings is located in the heart of the aerospace/defense corridor, between Tyndall and Eglin Air Force Bases, making it a location of choice for companies doing business with these industries.

The region is home to more than 400 aerospace and defense institutions – both business and government – along with a well-trained workforce that includes more than 70,000 military personnel, veterans and retirees.

Northwest Florida is home to one naval and six aviation-related military installations that serve a variety of mission objectives.

Eglin Air Force Base
Geographically the world’s largest military base, Eglin is home to:

• Air Armament Center – responsible for the development, acquisition, testing, and deployment of all air-delivered weapons.
• Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate – Advanced R&D of precision engagement technologies for air, space, and cyberspace forces.
• The 53rd Wing – serves as the focal point for the Combat Air Forces in electronic warfare, armament and avionics, chemical defense, reconnaissance, and aircrew training devices.
• 20th Space Control Squadron – detects, tracks identifies and reports near earth and deep space objects in Earth’s orbit.
• F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Wing – responsible for F-35 A/B/C (Joint Strike Fighter) pilot and maintainer training for the Marine Corps, the Navy, the Air Force and, in the future, at least eight coalition partners.

Hurlburt Field
Based at Eglin, this is the location for several units that deal with special tactics, operations and intelligence, and is home to the 1st Special Operations Group and the Air Force Special Operations Command & Training Center.

Duke Field
Located within Eglin and primarily an Air Force Reserve Command installation, the facility is hosted by the 919th Special Operations Wing, operating the MC-130E Combat Talon I aircraft.

Tyndall Air Force Base
Part of Air Education and Training Comand, Tyndall is the home of air dominance training.

• 325th Fighter Wing – provides air dominance training for F-15C Eagle and F-22 Raptor pilots and maintenance personnel and air battle managers to support the combat Air Force. Other specialties trained here include F-15 and F-22 intelligence officers, F-15 and F-22 crew chiefs and officer and enlisted air traffic controllers.
• 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group – conducts the Air Force’s air-to-air and air-to-ground Weapon System Evaluation Programs.

Naval Surface Warfare Center
The Panama City division conducts research, development, test and evaluation, in-service support of mine warfare systems, mines, naval special warfare systems, diving and life support systems, amphibious/expeditionary maneuver warfare systems, and other missions that occur primarily in coastal regions.

Naval Air Station Whiting Field
The busiest Naval Air Station in the world, this facility is responsible for an estimated 46 percent of the Chief of Naval Air Training Command’s total flight time and over 10 percent of Navy and Marine Corps total flight time. Over 1,200 personnel complete their essential flight training here yearly.

Naval Air Station Pensacola
Known as the “Cradle of Naval Aviation” it serves as the launching point for the flight training of every Naval Aviator, Naval Flight Officer, and Enlisted Aircrewman. It is also home to Training Wing Six and the Blue Angels.

The missions, defense contracts, sub-contracting opportunities and workforce associated with the military presence are key attractions for aerospace and defense firms, which in turn help to enhance military missions by providing services, technologies and innovation.

Specialized and Plentiful Workforce

The military presence plays an important role in delivering highly skilled employees to area businesses. Of individuals leaving the military, many have specific knowledge and experience – and many possess security clearances -- all valuable assets for companies involved in defense and national security activities.

There is an abundance of aerospace and defense talent in Northwest Florida, particularly in the 60-mile area between Tyndall Air Force Base in Bay County and Eglin Air Force Base in Okaloosa County. Defense contractor clusters around these bases provide a source of highly skilled labor and an ever-growing talent pool.

Aerospace and defense, key drivers of the region’s economy, is a large and growing sector in Northwest Florida and accounts for up to 37,000 private sector and non-military government employees. Combined with the enlisted personnel from the region’s eight military installations, the industry boasts a workforce of approximately 70,000 in Northwest Florida.