Blog

Heritage Month Spotlight: Lourdes C. Palacio, Rolls-Royce

Lourdes C. Palacio, Technical Program Manager, Capability Acquisition & Design Services, External Research, Materials Engineering - DefenseRolls-Royce How did you get your start in the aerospace industry? After I graduated from college in Texas with a degree in Materials and Metallurgy Engineering, I moved to Indiana as a technical staff member for a consumer electronics company. I worked for this company for 10 years before joining Rolls-Royce as a Materials and Processing En...

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Heritage Month Spotlight: Ulises Vargas, Rolls-Royce

Ulises VargasManufacturing Engineering ManagerRolls-Royce How did you get your start in the aerospace industry? I was lucky enough to be recruited by Rolls-Royce when I graduated from college at the University of Texas Pan-American back in 2003. When I joined the company I started as a manufacturing engineer in in Indianapolis, Indiana. I remember that I was impressed by the fact that the site not only had manufacturing operations but also assembly and test areas for the AE and 250 ...

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NASA Appropriations – Focus on the Future

The innovations of the next 30 years will drive the way we move, connect, explore, and defend our nation. From a return to the moon and leap to Mars, to quiet and efficient supersonic flight, our future will be defined by our advances in space and aeronautics. Just as it’s done for more than 60 years, NASA, in partnership with the aerospace industry, is poised to make these game-changing developments possible. But they will need a unified commitment from the Administration and Congress to Ame...

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At the Heart of Aerospace: San Antonio, TX

By Christopher Combs, Dee Howard Endowed Assistant Professor, University of Texas at San Antonio The city of San Antonio, unbeknownst to some, has a rich history in aviation with multiple military bases within the city limits, a strong local presence of aviation industry, and a legacy of aviation innovators and entrepreneurs. Take for example Dee Howard, who established the Dee Howard Co. (DHC) in 1964 and quickly became a leader in the engineering and production of improvements for business...

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Heritage Month Spotlight: Juan Ricardo Gomez, DXC Technology

Juan Ricardo GomezClient ExecutiveDXC Technology How did you get your start in the aerospace industry? Growing up, I loved going to the airport to look at aircrafts taking off and landing. There was a cafeteria in the airport with an outdoor balcony with a great view of the runway. Rather than wanting to be a pilot, I was more interested in the forces and mechanics at play that made flight possible. As I got older, I found myself disassembling everything from TVs, radios, and bi...

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Heritage Month Spotlight: Jay Malave, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, L3Harris Technologies

Jay MalaveSenior Vice President and Chief Financial OfficerL3Harris Technologies #HispanicHeritageMonth recognizes the deep historical connections of Hispanic and Latino communities in the U.S. and celebrates the many valuable contributions of individuals with Hispanic backgrounds. At this time of year, I often think about Roberto Clemente – a Hall of Fame Major League Baseball player. While his athletic career and achievements on the field were noteworthy, his most important cont...

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Budget Blog: Securing the Future of Civil Aviation

Packages delivered by drones, air taxis flying over traffic, and supersonic aircraft that can reach destinations in half the time. As illustrated in our report “What’s Next for Aerospace & Defense: A Vision for 2050,” the future of aviation is coming faster than anyone could have imagined. Our country took a major step towards that future with the passage of the FAA Reauthorization Act in 2018, which included several provisions that lay the groundwork for the next generation of tec...

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Budget Blog Series: Funding the U.S. Defense Industrial Base

It’s that time of year again when Congress sprints to finish allocating funding for the next fiscal year. Between continuing resolutions (CRs) and the risk of a government shutdown, the constantly in flux nature of this process is problematic for many areas of our government, but especially when it comes to our national defense. A healthy manufacturing and defense industrial base depends on robust and stable funding. Consistent defense budgets ena...

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USMCA: A Modern Agreement for the Digital Age

American aerospace products move people and goods around the world, make space exploration possible, and provide technological capabilities that impact daily life in countless ways. But how we move, connect, and live has changed dramatically over the last 25 years since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect. That is one of the overarching reasons why the American aerospace & defense (A&D) industry strongly supports the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (US...

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(Cyber)securing the Future of UAS Through Standards

We stand on precipice of a new era of aviation – one that will include drones and urban air mobility (UAM) revolutionizing the way goods are purchased, services are performed, and people are transported. The aerospace and defense industry is investing billions of dollars each year to ensure that the U.S. remains the global leader in this technology and that this vision for the future becomes a reality. But to get that future, we need more than just policy and smart regulations – we need...

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Apollo 11: Fueling the Future of Space Achievements

On this day, fifty years ago, the crew of Apollo 11 returned to Earth following their successful – and historic – landing on the moon. This mission means a lot to the Aerospace Industries Association. Many of our members played significant roles in making the first moon landing possible, and more than 370,000 contractors from the aerospace and defense industry and academia worked on Apollo missions. Today, we know the Apollo Program – along with the companies and workers that made...

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Building a Legacy: Industry's Role in Apollo 11

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” When President John F. Kennedy stood before Rice University to address the nation, he was confident that our mission to the moon was more than just a dream – it was an opportunity for “the greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked.” Fifty years later, Apollo 11 remains the gold standard for human achievement. And at the heart of this achievement was...

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