INW Aerospace Tech Hub Competes Against 18 other Applicants
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho / Spokane, Washington — December 15th, 2025
The American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center (AAMMC) Tech Hub announced it is competing in a pool of 19 total applicants for a Tech Hub grant under the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Aerospace Tech Hub application would establish a national testbed for next-generation aerospace prototypes in Spokane and a technical education job training center in Post Falls.
The AAMMC Tech Hub members have focused on a clear objective: bring the world’s largest composites press and advanced composites equipment to the Inland Northwest to accelerate prototyping of advanced material aerospace parts and train a pipeline of engineers and suppliers so that next-generation of aerospace parts remain in the INW for decades to come.
Tour the proposed testbed: AerospaceTechHub.com/Tour.
The AAMMC Tech Hub reflects a unified Inland Northwest and includes both local suppliers and global aerospace industry primes and regional manufacturers. The Aerospace Prototype Testbed plans are coordinated with major industry partners: Boeing Commercial Airplanes, NASA, Boeing Defense, Phantom Works, Spirit AeroSystems, Toray, and Syensqo, alongside Inland Northwest manufacturers and employers, including ATC Manufacturing, Altek, Unitech, Empire Airlines, and others.
The proposed Advanced Manufacturing and AI Training Center would expand the current campus and equipment of North Idaho College, in partnership with University of Idaho, Gonzaga University, Washington State University and Spokane Community College.
The AAMMC Tech Hub is grateful for ongoing support of elected officials and community leaders across Washington and Idaho who work with us to keep American aerospace jobs here in the Inland Northwest.
In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Lutnick, Senator Patty Murray, Senator Mike Crapo, Senator Maria Cantwell, Senator Jim Risch, and Congressman Michael Baumgartner expressed the urgency for protecting American manufacturing jobs:
“This investment is essential for U.S. economic and national security. Aerospace currently provides the largest positive trade balance of any U.S. manufacturing industry and is the second largest export by dollar value. American aerospace suppliers are experiencing surging demand to produce larger, lighter advanced aero parts for drones, military airborne platforms, and new commercial aircraft at high rates. Global demand reflects the need for over 42,000 commercial aircraft and tens of thousands of drones over the next two decades, with next-generation commercial planes consisting of 60 percent composites, and unmanned aircraft dominating the future of defense aviation. Without immediate American technology advancements in larger, lightweight composites, the U.S. defense and commercial markets risk increasing reliance on foreign competitors for all types of aerospace vehicles.
The Aerospace Tech Hub will bring the largest composites press in the world to the United States, a 5,000-ton press capable of producing thermoplastic composite parts at scales currently impossible domestically. Europe and Asia are currently positioned ahead of the United States in research, development, and manufacturing of advanced aero parts. The Aerospace Tech Hub is ready to reverse this trend, preserve thousands of American jobs, and build a domestic aerospace supply chain to support the next generation of defense and commercial aircraft with American manufacturing.”
Katia Passerini, President of Gonzaga University said, “Today, providing opportunities for graduates to advance their careers in the fields of technology, manufacturing and engineering are more important than ever. Our region has a history of approaching challenges head-on, and Gonzaga has been proud to have been at the table of this project from the very beginning. When industries and institutions come together, we create engines of impact that lift up the communities we serve. At the heart of this work is bipartisanship, working across the aisle towards the same goal: to create and foster a spark that transforms regional potential into global opportunity.”
Patrick McHail, Director for the AAMMC said, “This application reflects years of committed work to build a first-of-its-kind advanced materials testbed and training center to bring industry, defense and NASA engineers together under one roof—so American aerospace jobs are protected for generations in the Inland Northwest, and the U.S. does not rely on foreign competitors for our commercial and defense aerospace.”
John Hemmingson, Chairman of Lakeside Companies said, “We agree with the findings of Central Washington University, which determined the AAMMC Tech Hub is a high return on investment for the American taxpayer. This investment will generate tens of thousands of family-wage jobs and deliver multi-billion-dollar economic output across the Inland Northwest by anchoring the development, testing, and high-rate manufacturing of next-generation composite aerospace structures in the region.”
By consolidating large-format composites prototyping, process validation, and workforce training in one integrated ecosystem, the Tech Hub is designed to accelerate the pathway from innovation to production—supporting the kind of durable industrial expansion that attracts long-term private investment, reinforces U.S. manufacturing leadership, and creates sustained opportunity for regional workers and students.
Timeline: EDA is expected to announce applicants that can advance to Stage II in late December or early January, with final awards anticipated in spring 2026.
About the AAMMC Tech Hub
The American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center (AAMMC) Tech Hub, 501(c)(3) (aerospacetechhub.com) is an industry-led, Northern Idaho/Eastern Washington consortium advancing a world-class prototype testbed and workforce training center for next-generation aerospace materials to enable high-rate manufacturing in the Inland Northwest. By aligning industry, technical educators, investors, and public partners, the AAMMC Tech Hub is building the capabilities and talent pipeline required to strengthen U.S. self-sufficiency in aerospace manufacturing and maintain global leadership in both defense and commercial aviation.
Media Contact: Maria Lusardi, [email protected]
