From staff reports Kratos, the drone manufacturer that has a plant in Oklahoma City, announced last week in Paris that it plans to build a jet engine plant in Bristow.
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions said in its announcement it will build the plant to produce its GEK (GE Aerospace- Kratos) turbofan engines.
The announcement was made during the Oklahoma breakfast in Paris ahead of the 2025 Paris Air Show.
The facility will include three small engine test cells, which are expected to be operational in 2027, thanks to approved grant funding in this year’s general appropriations bill, House Bill 2766, which became law without the governor’s signature. Such funding was possible because of the passage of legislation in the 2024 session which created the Oklahoma Aircraft Engine Testing Development Grant Program.
“Kratos is already a great Oklahoma company and employer, and I am thrilled they have decided to expand in Bristow,” said House Speaker Kyle Hilbert (R-Bristow). Sen. John Haste (R-Broken Arrow) and Hilbert authored legislation in 2024 “specifically to support the further expansion of the defense and aerospace industry in Oklahoma,” Hilbert said. “As a state, we must work to incentivize not only new businesses to relocate to Oklahoma, but for existing businesses to grow and expand,” he said.
The 50,000-square-foot facility, located on 20 acres, is expected to expand to 100,000 square feet and house up to five GEK engine production lines and initial output of 500 turbofan engines annually.
“This facility underscores Kratos’ strategy of delivering affordable, high-performance, made-in-America propulsion systems at scale,” said Stacey Rock, president of Kratos Turbine Technologies, in a release distributed by the company. “Bristow will be a critical site for delivering mass to the mission and meeting the growing propulsion needs of our defense customers.”
The initial engine line is expected to create 60 high-quality jobs at the site, with key positions beginning recruitment in late 2025 and general hiring in Q1 2026. Each additional production line is expected to add approximately 45 new jobs.
“This is a big win — not just for Bristow, but for our region, for the state, and for the country,” said Sen.Todd Gollihare (R-Kellyville). “We’re talking about high-quality jobs and cutting-edge manufacturing right here in rural Oklahoma, supporting our local economy and strengthening America’s defense capabilities. I’m proud to support projects that deliver for our communities and for the nation.”
“Aerospace is Oklahoma’s second-largest industry,” and the legislation authored last year “was created to help foster its growth trajectory,” Haste said. “The Oklahoma Aircraft Engine Testing Development Program gives companies like Kratos the tools they need to scale their operations in Oklahoma instead of looking to other states.”
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. is a technology, products, system and software company that serves the defense, national security and commercial markets. Kratos first established a presence in Bristow by acquiring Consolidated Turbine Specialists — a local business founded in 2012 — in 2019.
The San Diego-based defense contractor increased the size of its operation in Oklahoma City by 50% and now encompasses more than 150,000 square feet at the Will Rogers Business Park.