HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — A New York-based defense testing firm has opened a 104,000-square-foot center on Pulaski Pike in north Huntsville to qualify and test solid rocket motors, putting the work a short drive from the customer that builds them.
Dayton T. Brown, Inc. marked the opening of its Huntsville Test and Qualification Center with a ribbon cutting at 7401 Pulaski Pike, in the Toney area. The company has signed a 10-year lease on the building.
Its first job is large-scale rocket motor testing tied to Golden Dome missile defense requirements for its anchor customer, L3Harris, whose Advanced Manufacturing Facility North sits a couple of minutes down the same road. Until now, L3Harris shipped products to the testing company’s site in New York, and the company says the short trip will save time, reduce the risk of damage and deliver results almost in real time.
Company President Jim Kelly said the firm wants to sit where its customers and their engineers already work, and he described the opening as the first step in a broader growth plan for North Alabama. The company expects to add environmental and electromagnetic interference testing as customer demand grows.
Kelly tied the move to federal pressure on defense suppliers to build more equipment on faster schedules, which makes testing capacity a potential bottleneck. Mayor Tommy Battle said the specialized work will bring new jobs and fits the region’s existing defense and technology base, and Madison County Commission Chairman Rex Vaughn said the testing capability should help local companies bring products to market. The company did not release a hiring number.
Section: More Huntsville AL business news
Filed under: Huntsville AL Business News
