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Dassault Falcon Jet will be expanding its production facilities in Little Rock, Arkansas to allow for more work on the new Falcon 6X business jet while planning for future models. The expansion will bring about 800 new jobs to the area and Dassault made the announcement on Tuesday at an event alongside Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
The company already has 1,400 workers at its two facilities in the area and the new expansion is projected to bring about 800 new, good-paying jobs to the region, according to Sanders. Dassault has operated in Arkansas since 1975, when the aircraft completion facility opened in Little Rock. The plan for an expansion came after Dassault leaders met with government officials like Sanders and Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott at the Paris Air Show. AP News reports that aerospace and aviation is the state's top export. The expansion will receive $12 million from an incentive fund and $6 million in customized training funds from the Arkansas Office of Skills Development, AP News reports. The project will also be receiving sales tax refunds and rebates based on payroll for new employees.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the expansion will take several years and Dassault plans to spend $100 million on capital investments at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field (LIT) by the end of 2034. The new lease requires a large investment. The additional land under lease brings Dassault's total close to 159 acres, according to The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The current facilities at the airport total 1.2 million square feet and the expansion should not affect passenger experiences at the airport or airline operations. The new facility will feature 14-16 bays for an incoming jet. Following the construction of a paint hangar and projects within the current facilities, the construction of the new plane will commence in the next two to four years.
The Arkansas Economic Development Council reported that this is the latest expansion in the last decade, with a $60 million investment to expand the Completion Center in 2015, adding 350,000 square feet of production space. The Little Rock facility is the largest Dassault facility in the world in terms of its footprint and the number of employees.RELATED STORY:Dassault Falcon 6X enters into service
The new Falcon 6X entered into service on Nov. 30. The 6X has approach speeds as low as 109 knots and can routinely fly out of small airports with runways of 4,000 feet or less. The aircraft has an advanced digital flight control system with digital control. Equipped with primary flight controls such as ailerons, elevators and rudder but also with flaps, flaperon and nose wheel steering. In addition to ultra-low noise levels, the 6X will feature a cabin altitude as low as 3,900 feet at a cruise level of 41,000 feet.
"Our expected demand for new Falcons - such as our Falcon 6X which has just entered service - required that we evaluate our production needs including our completion capacity," Dassault CEO Eric Trappier said to the AEDC. "The State of Arkansas has always been a vital part of our success in Little Rock and we appreciate the leadership of Gov Huckabee Sanders as we build a bigger presence."