Testbed Established with Federal Funding, Industry, and Private Commitments. Training Programs will be the Focus as Equipment is Procured.
JANUARY 14th, 2025 – The American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center (AAMMC) announced today that the Testbed and Training Center will become a reality through the U.S. Department of Commerce Tech Hub award and industry commitments of over $50 million. This funding will establish a world-class, first-of-its kind testbed for advanced aerospace materials in the Inland Northwest. A partnership of industry and government engineers will advance high-rate manufacturing on equipment that is larger and more capable than any existing infrastructure for advanced composites manufacturing technologies.
No region is better equipped than the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene region to meet the unprecedented global demand for equipping 40,000 new airplanes with lightweight aerospace parts that reduce carbon emissions. Within a few years, the Inland Northwest based AAMMC Tech Hub can have prototypes ready for testing and eventual high-rate production, enabling American suppliers to fulfill these orders and lessen our growing reliance on foreign technology and foreign manufacturing.
“Our coalition looks forward to filling this building with equipment unlike any of its kind in the world, bringing our top industry and NASA engineers together under one roof, and ensuring the pipeline of aerospace talent stays in the Pacific Northwest,” a statement from the AAMMC consortium reads. “We thank Senator Cantwell and Senator Murray for their unwavering support in achieving this milestone.”
“The country that figures out how to use advanced materials to increase manufacturing capacity and aircraft fuel efficiency is going to have a huge competitive advantage,” says Senator Maria Cantwell. “America is handing the baton to Spokane – establishing it as an innovation testbed for high-rate aerospace materials manufacturing. We’re betting on Spokane’s leadership and manufacturing base to solve the aviation challenges America faces. This important R&D mission will help ensure our nation’s future aerospace leadership.”
“This is great news for Spokane and all of Eastern Washington,” says Senator Murray, Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “These new resources build on the hundreds of millions I fought hard to secure for Tech Hubs under tough funding constraints and this award is a testament to the cutting-edge research and incredible collaboration happening across Washington state. These investments are critical as we work to ensure Washington state continues to lead the way in aerospace innovation and jobs. As the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, fighting for the resources we need to help spur the already incredible work happening in our state will always be a top priority for me.”
“This partnership has worked for two years on this plan to enable this region to lead the country and the world in the next generation of aerospace parts and reverse the trend toward foreign manufacturing. By establishing this capability in the Inland Northwest at the heart of the I-90 aerospace corridor, we are bringing together the right resources in the right region to create a critical capability for our country,” says John J. Hemmingson, CEO of Lakeside Companies, one of the leading consortium members.
“I am so pleased that the efforts of the AAMMC leadership has yielded this fantastic funding result,” says Gonzaga President Thayne McCulloh. “We have been confident from the beginning that the Spokane-North Idaho Tech Hub holds tremendous potential for the development of advanced technologies, manufacturing, and production that will help meet critical demand for aerospace components. We are committed to pursuing additional funding to support educational programs and workforce development that will be essential to the success of the Tech Hub.
This testbed and training center will develop a class of next-generation lightweight composite parts like ribs, beams, doors, bulkheads, and stiffened skins in preparation for high-rate manufacturing techniques The Hub will advance these methods through TRL levels six through nine for defense and commercial applications.
Leading industry partners include aerospace manufacturers Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems, Collins Aerospace; materials suppliers including Toray and Syensqo; national and federal labs including NASA, Air Force Research Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), technical educators across the region, higher education research institutions, economic development organizations, tribal communities, and more. You can view a full list of AAMMC members here.
The AAMMC was officially designated as a Regional Technology Hub by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) in the fall of 2023. This designation recognized that our region has the expertise and ecosystem to be a global leader for advanced aerospace technologies essential to our economic and national security over the next decade.
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ABOUT THE AMERICAN AEROSPACE MATERIALS MANUFACTURING CENTER: The AAMMC is an aerospace technology hub in the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene region designated by the EDA Regional Technology Hubs program. The AAMMC is working to propel America to the forefront of aerospace innovation by establishing a world-class testbed and training center for advancing high-rate manufacturing techniques for the next generation of aerospace materials and parts. Learn more at aerospacetechhub.com.
