OrlandoBusinessNews.com | September 15, 2026
Quick Answer
Orlando is the engineering, manufacturing and maintenance base that sits one hour inland from Florida’s launch pads. The region’s role in the state’s commercial aerospace ecosystem runs on four pillars: a 4,000-employee Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control campus and the precision-manufacturing suppliers around it; a Space Coast supply chain in Melbourne and Merritt Island that draws talent and components from the Orlando metro; maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations at Orlando Sanford International Airport; and an airport master plan at Orlando International that reserves roughly 500 acres for advanced air mobility. Aerospace and defense support more than 77,000 tech jobs and over $7 billion in annual regional output.
The Scale of the Cluster
Orlando’s economic developers put the numbers plainly: the seven largest aerospace and defense firms on the Fortune 500 all have operations in or near Orlando, including some of Florida’s biggest aerospace manufacturing sites. Statewide, aircraft, engine and parts manufacturing is a $6.7 billion industry in 2026, ranking 12th among Florida industries by revenue.
The growth curve tilts east. Florida Tech’s economic impact study projects statewide engineering and aerospace manufacturing jobs to grow 17% by 2033, but on the Space Coast that growth is projected at 112%. Orlando feeds that curve as the region’s largest workforce supplier for the sector and as the place where much of the engineering, testing and component production happens before hardware moves to the coast.
Lockheed Martin: The Anchor Tenant
The single largest aerospace employer in the metro is Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control division. Over 4,000 employees report to the 260-acre Orlando site, which features an Innovation Center and two research and development facilities focused on advanced combat, missile, rocket, and manned and unmanned systems. The site’s engineers lead in electro-optics, millimeter-wave radar, image and signal processing, advanced materials, electronic packaging and large-system integration.
Production ripples outward. Ninety minutes northwest, Lockheed’s Ocala Operations facility is a 393,000-square-foot assembly and high-rate production site where 950 employees build sensors for aircraft fire control systems, missile electronics and cabling, and missile seeker and guidance sections. Lockheed’s Orlando careers page currently lists openings for propulsion, guidance-navigation-and-control, manufacturing planning and quality engineering roles, and the company is updating its Javelin production line to increase efficiency.
The Supplier Tier
Behind the primes sits a bench of precision shops that serve both defense and commercial customers. One example is Elite Metal Finishing, an Orlando provider of metal finishing for industrial, aerospace and defense companies, which broke ground in August 2026 on a 26,349-square-foot addition to its east campus at 7594 Chancellor Drive; when complete in spring 2027 the plant will total 45,806 square feet, with construction continuing while the existing facility stays fully operational.
Feeding the Space Coast
The supply chain Orlando supports is being built out in real time along Interstate 95. In July 2026, Extant Aerospace broke ground on a roughly 376,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Melbourne with a $75 million investment and about 200 new jobs on top of its current 250 employees; the plant will house expanded electronics and avionics operations for a company that sustains more than 10,000 part numbers under licenses from L3Harris, Collins Aerospace and GE. Melbourne is also where Northrop Grumman engineers designed and developed the B-21 Raider at a growing campus off NASA Boulevard.
Space manufacturing is scaling the same way. Blue Origin’s new Florida facility will support 500 aerospace jobs at an average salary above $98,000, and Terran Orbital committed more than $300 million to a Merritt Island spacecraft and constellation facility billed as the world’s largest satellite plant. For Orlando, these projects are customers for local machine shops, coating specialists and electronics assemblers, and competitors for the same engineers coming out of UCF and Florida Tech.
MRO: Where Aircraft Get Fixed
Orlando’s aviation-services economy centers on Sanford. Most operations at Orlando Sanford International Airport are tied to flight training through a large national flight school, and the airport draws substantial corporate aviation thanks to an onsite MRO tenant serving business jets. Constant Aviation has updated its paint facilities there, and Nextant has added ground staff for avionics, structural engineering and parts. Avocet Aviation Services, an FAA- and EASA-certified MRO at Sanford, performs heavy maintenance including airframe block inspections, engine services and aircraft transition and lease-return work.
The airport itself handled 3.17 million passengers and 394,203 aircraft operations in 2025, with lower landing fees and operating costs than Orlando International. The industry’s biggest annual gathering also comes here: MRO Americas 2026, held April 21–23 in Orlando, expected 17,000-plus attendees, 1,000-plus exhibitors and 2,000-plus airline and lessor buyers from 93 countries.
Central Florida Aerospace Snapshot
| Asset | Location | Function | Scale / Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lockheed Martin MFC | Orlando (260 acres) | Missiles, sensors, R&D | 4,000+ employees; Innovation Center |
| Lockheed Martin Ocala | Ocala | High-rate assembly | 393,000 sq ft; 950 employees |
| Elite Metal Finishing | Orlando | Aerospace/defense finishing | Expanding to 45,806 sq ft by spring 2027 |
| Extant Aerospace | Melbourne | Avionics manufacturing, Part 145 repair | $75M, 376,000 sq ft, +200 jobs (2026) |
| Blue Origin | Space Coast | Launch vehicle manufacturing | 500 jobs, avg. salary $98K+ |
| Orlando Sanford Intl (SFB) | Sanford | Business-jet MRO, flight training | 3.17M passengers; 394K ops (2025) |
| Orlando Intl (MCO) | Orlando | AAM hubs, East Airfield | ~500 acres reserved; incubator by 2030 |
| SunTrax AirGround | Auburndale | eVTOL/AAM test track | Flights by end of 2026 |
Aviation Tech and Advanced Air Mobility
The next layer is aircraft that do not yet fly commercially. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer has said the city has been pushing to be a national hub for advanced air mobility, and the airport master plan includes designated AAM hubs near Terminal C and at the East Airfield, which has roughly 500 acres. The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority’s visioning plan also calls for expanded cargo facilities, parking and gates and a fully operational business incubator by 2030.
State infrastructure backs the ambition. SunTrax in Polk County has added the nation’s first dedicated AAM aerial test track with two vertiports, and eVTOL developer AIR chose the campus for its U.S. headquarters and production hub. Drones are already commercial: Walmart’s delivery pilots in the Orlando-Kissimmee area are expected to reach more than 270 locations across Orange and Osceola counties by 2027.
Talent Pipeline
Employers want a mix of engineering degrees and hands-on skills, with demand highest for computer science, electrical and mechanical engineering, welding and aircraft-frame work. Florida Tech and UCF are expanding aerospace, engineering and AI programs, and Daytona State College is building two-year applied programs tied directly to aerospace and manufacturing careers. UCF’s College of Medicine has even opened an aerospace medicine group working with NASA and private companies to monitor astronaut health before and after flights.
Why It Matters for Business
For manufacturers, the message is that Orlando is a Tier 2 and Tier 3 production base with a captive Tier 1 customer next door and a launch market an hour away. For commercial real estate, industrial demand from finishing, machining and avionics shops is growing alongside airport land plans. For service firms, the MRO economy at Sanford and the AAM buildout at MCO create new categories of tenants, insurers and contractors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Orlando’s largest aerospace employer?
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, with more than 4,000 employees on a 260-acre Orlando campus.
Does Orlando have aircraft maintenance facilities?
Yes. Orlando Sanford International Airport hosts business-jet MRO operators including Constant Aviation, Nextant and Avocet Aviation Services, alongside a large flight-training school.
How does Orlando connect to the Space Coast?
Through workforce, engineering and component supply. Orlando-area machine shops, finishers and electronics firms serve Melbourne and Cape Canaveral manufacturers such as Extant Aerospace, Blue Origin and Terran Orbital.
What is planned for advanced air mobility in Orlando?
Orlando International’s master plan designates AAM hubs near Terminal C and on the 500-acre East Airfield, and SunTrax’s aerial test track is slated to host eVTOL flights by the end of 2026.
How big is aerospace manufacturing in Florida?
Aircraft, engine and parts manufacturing is a $6.7 billion industry statewide in 2026.
Sources and Further Reading
- Orlando Economic Partnership, “Aerospace & Defense” — https://business.orlando.org/l/aerospace-defense/
- Capital Analytics Associates, “Aerospace investment in Central Florida – what’s underway and what’s planned,” Feb. 17, 2026 — https://capitalanalyticsassociates.com/aerospace-investment-in-central-florida-whats-underway-and-whats-planned/
- Lockheed Martin, “Missiles and Fire Control Careers” — https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/careers/why-lm/business-areas/mfc.html
- Stevens Construction, “Orlando aerospace and defense manufacturer Elite Metal Finishing expands operations,” Aug. 13, 2026 — https://www.stevensconstructioninc.com/orlando-aerospace-and-defense-manufacturer-elite-metal-finishing-expands-operations-to-accommodate-growth/
- Connect CRE, “Aerospace Firm Spending $75M on Orlando Plant,” July 15, 2026 — https://www.connectcre.com/stories/aerospace-firm-spending-75m-on-orlando-plant/
- Extant Aerospace, company site — https://extantaerospace.com/
- Powering Florida, “Aviation & Aerospace Companies in Florida” — https://www.poweringflorida.com/explore-industries/aviation-aerospace.html
- FDOT, Florida Aviation System Plan 2043, Orlando Sanford International profile — https://fdotwww.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinity/docs/default-source/fasp-2043—airport-profiles/sfb-(4-4-2024).pdf
- Business Air News, Orlando Sanford International Airport handbook — https://www.businessairnews.com/hb_airportpage.html?recnum=1951
- MRO Global, Avocet Aviation Services profile — https://www.mroglobal-online.com/companies/avocet-aviation-services/
- Airport Industry-News, “MRO Americas 2026” — https://airportindustry-news.com/event-exhibition/mro-americas-2026/
- IBISWorld, “Aircraft, Engine & Parts Manufacturing in Florida,” March 2026 — https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/industry/florida/aircraft-engine-parts-manufacturing/20099
- FDOT, “Governor Ron DeSantis Highlights Florida’s One-of-a-Kind Facility to Advance the Future of Transportation,” Aug. 10, 2026 — https://www.fdot.gov/info/co/news/2026/08102026
This article is part of the Florida Authority Network, a portfolio of Florida-focused business news publications. OrlandoBusinessNews.com covers the companies, institutions and infrastructure shaping Central Florida’s economy.
