The money, to be matched with university funds generated by NIAR's contracts with private industry, will go toward a new Flight Test Research Center and a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility, commerce and university officials said.
"This EDA ( Economic Development Administration) investment in Wichita State University will enable aviation businesses to efficiently and effectively pivot operations to address current and future changes in the industry, creating a more resilient regional aviation industry sector," Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo said in a statement announcing the grant.
The equipment purchased with the grant money will go to NIAR's WERX lab, on South Oliver near McConnell Air Force Base and Spirit AeroSystems, said WSU associate vice president Tracee Friess.
The lab works with private industry and the military on a variety of projects, including repurposing passenger planes for cargo carrying or other special missions.
In addition to private sector benefits, the new capabilities will allow NIAR to serve as "a neutral, independent, test organization" for the military to evaluate "newly developed or modified aerospace vehicles and (their) capability to perform the intended function for the modern day warfighter," the grant application said.
"Those [475 jobs] will all be engineers and technicians," Friess said. "Some of those will be student technicians so they'll cycle in and out."
Several Kansas federal and state officials hailed the grant, saying it will expand NIAR's research capacity, advancing new flight technologies and modification of existing airframes.
"WSU students, our local aircraft manufacturers, the aviation industry and general public safety will all benefit from the new equipment made possible through this grant," Rep. Ron Estes, R- Wichita said in the Commerce Department statement.
"With this support from our federal partners, we'll continue boosting our economy, creating jobs and cementing Wichita's reputation as the 'Air Capital of the World,'" Gov. Laura Kelly said.
©2021 The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
