Boeing announced Tuesday it would be donating grant packages totaling $48 million to charities around the world in observance of Giving Tuesday.

Boeing is the largest aerospace company in the world and a leading provider of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, and global services. It supports commercial and government customers in 150 countries, with more than 150,000 employees worldwide.

The grants will support 404 charitable organizations in 50 countries, funding programs through 2020 and beyond, according to Boeing.

More than $700,000 of the company’s investment will go to 10 organizations in Arizona that help veterans in the community and inspire prospective aerospace scientists and engineers.

“Boeing’s people bring to life our values and our enduring commitment to supporting the communities where we live and work,” said Dennis Muilenburg, president and CEO of .

Boeing says its employees amplify the aircraft manufacturer’s giving: By the end of 2019, Boeing employees will have donated nearly $40 million to charitable causes, bringing total employee contributions to $350 million in the past 10 years.

In 2018, Boeing’s 4,300 Arizona employees volunteered 11,000 hours mentoring FIRST Lego League and Robotics teams, building school gardens and helping veterans write resumes to help them re-enter civilian life, according to a company representative.

“Through their close collaboration, our teams and community partners are working to inspire the next generation of aerospace innovators, support our veterans and create lasting change in the communities we call home,” Muilenburg said.

The Giving Tuesday charitable grants package includes $8 million for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and workforce development programs that help build a “talent pipeline” of civil aviation pilots and maintenance technicians, according to Boeing.

Boeing’s Pilot and Technician Outlook 2019-2038 that 804,000 new civil aviation pilots, 769,000 new maintenance technicians and 914,000 new cabin crew personnel will be needed to fly and maintain the world’s fleet over the next 20 years.

The includes the commercial aviation, business aviation and civil helicopter industries.

“At Boeing, were committed to helping students succeed,” said Cheri Carter, vice president of Boeing Global Engagement. “We want students to know that their future belongs to them — it has no boundaries.”

The company also committed $800,000 to launch the first Newton Flight Academy in Turkey in 2020, expanding on the existing Newton Europe in Spain and Poland that launched this year. The program teaches STEM skills to high school students through hands-on methods; grant dollars will support a permanent classroom in Turkey that includes three full-motion Boeing flight simulators.

“We believe our success as innovators depends on everyone coming together to inspire the next generation to share in our aerospace advancements,” Carter said. “That’s why we’re investing more than 50 percent of our philanthropic dollars to fund programs in the U.S. and abroad.”

A previously announced $10 million for veterans’ recovery and rehabilitation programs, as well as workforce transition services, is also included in the $48 million investment.

Giving Tuesday is a started in 2011 to create an international day of charitable giving immediately following Thanksgiving and the Black Friday sale shopping weekend.

To see a full list of Boeing’s grant partners, .

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Northrop Grumman and Phoenix-based general contractor Willmeng Construction Inc. hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the aerospace and defense company’s new Chandler campus last week.

The 633,000-square-foot office and manufacturing facility will provide a home for Northrop Grumman’s launch vehicle business, supporting defense and aerospace development.

“We have a rich heritage here in Arizona that spans more than three decades, and our business here continues to grow rapidly,” said Blake Larson, president of Innovation Systems at Northrop Grumman, at the ribbon-cutting. “This beautiful new facility will provide an improved work environment for our employees, provide a clean slate to work from to improve our efficiencies and give us more room for growth. I extend my gratitude to this incredible team who came together for mission success.”

Northrop Grumman has 2,500 employees at its Chandler campus and more than 3,500 employees across that state, with more than $30 million in payroll and benefits, according to the Office of Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.

“Northrop Grumman has helped make Arizona a national leader in defense and aerospace manufacturing — and this expansion will only further add to that reputation,” Ducey said at the ribbon-cutting event. “My thanks goes out to Northrop Grumman for continuing to invest in Arizona, and to everyone who worked to make this announcement possible.”

Northrop Grumman will build equipment at the new campus to support the United States missile defense program, including interceptors and targets. It will also help with satellite launches for the U.S. Air Force, National Reconnaissance Office, NASA and commercial customers.

The campus is located in the 180-acre Park Place Business Plaza developed by the Douglas Allred Company and brought to life by Willmeng Construction, Balmer Architectural Group and more than 300 subcontractors. The facility was built and delivered in only 17 months.

“The facility is a reflection of the vision that the team at the Douglas Allred Company has to strategically create appealing and unique campus environments,” said James Murphy, president and CEO of Willmeng Construction. “We were proud to take on the challenge of building this facility at a speed that is truly unparalleled in the market, achieving the unachievable to ensure there was no disruption to the important work accomplished at Northrop Grumman. We were truly working to support a launch schedule.”

Park Place is estimated to generate an annual economic impact of $1.4 billion once completed, according to Elliott D. Pollack & Company. It will also create more than 2,000 construction jobs during the initial build and another 9,691 during the subsequent build-out.

“Northrop Grumman’s investment in our ‘Community of Innovation’ will continue the city’s trajectory of economic competitiveness for years to come,” Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke said. “I commend Douglas Allred Company’s vision to develop the Park Place Campus, and Willmeng Construction for their professionalism and efforts to get a project of this magnitude completed on time.”

The Price Road Corridor of businesses, which runs along the Loop 101 Price Freeway through Chandler, Tempe and Mesa, is one of the fastest-growing labor bases in Metro Phoenix.

The new Northrop Grumman campus is located at 1575 S. Price Road.

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Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, last week championed a bill that advances Arizona’s space priorities, in part by supporting the University of Arizona’s NEOCam mission and the, which will include Arizona State University’s “Mastcam-Z” mounted camera system.

“By investing in America’s leadership in space, our bipartisan bill strengthens our national security and creates economic opportunities for Arizonans,” Sinema said.

Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., also backed the bill.

Before finalizing the bill — the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2019 — Sinema met with Arizona stakeholders, including leadership from and, to ensure the bill secures her state’s priorities.

Thursday, Sinema voiced her support for important partnerships between NASA and �鶹��ýӳ��niversities at a Senate Aviation and Space Subcommittee hearing. She is a ranking member of the subcommittee.

Sinema also emphasized a strong need for an effective science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education pipeline to continue advancing the nation’s space and national security interests.

“NASA and universities must work together to develop a 21st-century workforce to continue our leadership in space and ensure our economy remains innovative and strong,” she said.

Sinema requested the hearing in order to highlight the value of NASA’s partnerships with ASU, UArizona and Northern Arizona University.

The senior senator invited Dr. Linda Tarbox Elkins-Tanton, an ASU professor who is leading the, to share her experiences as a principal investigator and the way her work advances NASA’s scientific and exploration goals, creating opportunities for students to develop skills that help them succeed in the space industry.

According to Sinema’s office, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2019 will do the following:

• Ensure NASA can establish University Affiliated Research Centers — long-term research partnerships with universities that lead NASA projects and missions,
• Give NASA contract authority to partner with universities on missions that help university space programs grow,
• Establish the Planetary Defense Coordination Office, which will fund the construction of UArizona’s Near-Earth Object Camera (NEOCam),
• Require NASA to create an outreach program to encourage high school students to pursue STEM careers, building Arizona’s space workforce,
• Direct NASA to complete the James Webb Space Telescope — a follow-up to the Hubble Space Telescope that includes UArizona’s Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) — as soon as possible,
• Authorize NASA to complete its Mars 2020 mission — ASU’s Mastcam-Z is the main navigation camera on the Mars 2020 rover — and work on the Mars Sample Return Mission, and
• Require NASA to provide funding for small satellite launches conducting science missions, such as the ones developed by ASU, UArizona and NAU.

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Arizona congressional members are asking the U.S. Army to consider expanding military training in the state to meet a growing demand for pilot and technical training for foreign militaries that purchase Apache helicopter systems.

Currently, an aviation training site in Arizona is only at 35 percent capacity and would be an ideal location for the training to support U.S. sales of military aircraft, said eight members of the Arizona congressional delegation in a June 10 letter to Army Secretary Mark Esper.

The site, the Western Army Aviation Site (WAATS) north of Tucson, is well equipped as one of the Army’s premier aviation training locations for attack and scout helicopters, and home to a state-of-the-art flight simulator complex, the letter said.

It’s also perfectly situated in open desert with unencumbered, year-round access to hundreds of square miles of airspace dedicated to aviation training.

“We wanted to make you aware of an opportunity to enhance the Army’s aviation modernization and readiness initiatives while supporting the National Defense Strategy’s mandate to strengthen alliances and attract future partners,” the officials write.

Building partnerships with foreign militaries��

Countries that purchase military equipment like Apaches from the U.S. receive pilot and technical training at military training sites like WAATS that is managed by the Arizona Army National Guard.

Although it is primarily a training facility for the Army National Guard, trains personnel allied countries in Europe and Asia as well as the U.S. Army, the Army Reserve, and the Army National Guard.

An important component of the training program is the ability to build one-on-one relationships at all levels with partner nations, Arizona Army National Guard officials said.

Currently, the has a 20-year joint partnership with the Republic of Singapore to provide training at WAATS at the Silverbell Army Heliport at Pinal Airpark.

WAATS training builds Arizona economy

Expanding training in Arizona also would benefit the state, Army Guard officials said.

Currently, the Silverbell Army Heliport generates $148 million annually for the state of Arizona and provides more than 800 jobs.

Using WAATS also would alleviate future capacity issues at the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence in Fort Rucker, Alabama, the lawmakers’ letter said. The center had 63 available training seats in fiscal year 2018. That is expected to more than double in the coming years.

“WAATS has the equipment, personnel, base operations support, and subject matter expertise necessary to support the Apache foreign military sales training program,” wrote the legislators.

The eight lawmakers who signed the letter are: U.S. senators Krysten Sinema (D) and Martha McSally (R), and U.S. representatives Andy Biggs (R), Ruben Gallego (D), Debbie Lesko (R), Tom O’Halleran (D), David Schweikert (R), and Greg Stanton (D).

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Last week, the Arizona Manufacturers Council named Boeing the 2018 Manufacturer of the Year. The award recognizes Boeing as a leader, innovator, and one of the globe’s most consequential manufacturers. ��

In 1982, Boeing landed in Mesa, Arizona and set up one of their major manufacturing plants. “In Mesa, our focus has been rotorcraft,” Steve Wade, vice president of attack helicopter programs and senior Mesa site manager, said. “Over time we have been able to use advance composites and robotics to improve that technology in performance and affordability.”

Mesa’s Boeing site is known for producing the AH-64E Apache and AH-6 Little Bird helicopters. The Apache is a multi-mission combat helicopter known for being the best attack helicopter in the world. More than 1,159 have been produced for the United States and 15 allied nations.

The approximately 382-acre facility not only produces the heavy duty vehicles, it also uses the manufacturing site as a testing facility. “We’ve got this great weather and lots of space where we can do our testing for both manned and unmanned vehicles. Arizona is a great place for Boeing,” Wade said.

In the 36 years Boeing has been in Arizona, they have made a significant footprint on Arizona’s economy. The aviation company spends approximately $1.2 billion with nearly 350 businesses in Arizona with different suppliers and vendors, according to Wade.

The facility currently has 3,700 employees and will continue to grow, as Boeing announced last year that more jobs from their corporate headquarters in Seattle will be moving to Mesa in the next year or two.

“Overall, Boeing is focused not just on our products and customers but our community,” Wade said. “Just last year, employees donated about 2 million dollars to the community and 19,000 (hours of) volunteer time, that’s significant.”

According to Wade, Boeing is embedded in Arizona and looks to the future on how to gain new talent and retain their existing employees. Boeing goes about this in several ways, one being offering employment opportunities for veterans. The Mesa facility has nearly 700 employees who have self-identified as having served in the military prior to their employment at Boeing.

Another way Boeing is involved in the community is through schools. “We focus on interfac[ing] with our community through STEM, making sure the children of Arizona have a future,” Wade stated. “When we’re looking to hire, we look at the entire pool, but we start with the grade schools, the high schools, the local colleges and tech schools in the area. There is a great pool in Arizona from which to pick, so we are excited to be here.”

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