Aerospace: Another Manufacturing Frontier

In 1955 the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union commenced as the two superpowers began focusing their militaristic, technological, and scientific efforts skyward.

The Soviets won the first round in this fight when they launched the famous Sputnik 1 satellite on Oct. 4, 1957. Over the next several years, these Cold War rivals sent multiple missions into orbit, and on July 20, 1969, the U.S. landed men on the moon for the first time.

Nearly 60 years later, space has become a crowded place. China, France, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, North Korea, Russia, and the U.S. all have sent animals, people, or materiel into orbit, with many other nations— Canada included—being involved. And with good reason.

The space game is good business.

According to the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC), we have the world’s fifth-largest aerospace sector, which contributes nearly $28 billion to the economy in GDP, exports 80 percent of its output, and is highly active in R&D. There also are 172,000 Canadians employed in this industry.

A recent AIAC report also stated that this type of manufacturing employs innovative, highly skilled, highly paid workers.

“By offering highly skilled, highly paid jobs; driving industrial innovation; and posting growing revenues, our industry is proud to be a strong contributor to Canadian jobs, communities, and our economy,” said Jim Quick, president and CEO of AIAC.

This isn’t just idle boasting, either. And, the same characteristics that make Canada an ideal locale for space manufacturing make it highly desirable for aviation/aerospace production as well. This was proven by a recent announcement made at the Farnsborough International Airshow.

LTA Aerostructures, a company specializing in the design and production of airships, chose the airshow to announce that Montreal will be the location for its new production facility. The company plans to invest $90 million over the next three years and create 180 new jobs.

“Canada in general, and Quebec in particular, represents a major market for transportation by airships in remote northern areas where there is an abundance of natural resources,” said LTA President and CEO Michael Dyment. “We have received superb support and encouragement from the aerospace community and from local authorities. We are eagerly looking forward to collaborating with numerous Quebec companies.”

If that’s not proof of a sector that’s got its act together, I don’t know what is.

The interesting bit of news, however, isn’t that the Montreal area was chosen. Pratt & Whitney, Héroux-Devtek, and many others already are based there.

The fascinating aspect of this news is that airships are once again viable transportation options.

According to LTA, this form of transportation reduces the need to build typical aviation infrastructures, including runways. Airships also can be used in remote and inaccessible areas without altering the natural ecosystem.

Look out, Montreal, maybe a Sopwith Camel factory is coming soon.