GE Aerospace is giving Indiana's aerospace sector a serious boost. Today, the company said it will invest $65 million across three Indiana facilities in Indianapolis, Lafayette and Terre Haute and add roughly 880 jobs at those sites, according to state and company officials. The cash will go toward new machines, tooling and facility upgrades meant to increase capacity and keep quality high at plants that turn out parts for commercial and military jet engines.
Indianapolis is getting the biggest slice of the pie. GE Aerospace says $43 million will be spent there on new machines, tooling and building upgrades to expand capacity while holding the quality line. The plant builds combustors and structural engine components for narrowbody and widebody commercial jets as well as military fighter-jet and helicopter engines. "The work we do in Indianapolis keeps the public flying every day and keeps our military ready at the most critical times," company spokesperson Drew Smith said, as reported by WTHR.
What The Money Will Buy
The Indiana outlay plugs into a broader $1 billion U.S. manufacturing push that GE Aerospace says is designed to speed up engine deliveries and reinforce defense production. As part of that, the company has earmarked $7 million for its Lafayette plant to buy tools and equipment and to make facility upgrades that will support engine assembly and increase capacity to meet 2026 narrowbody engine deliveries, according to a press release from GE Aerospace.
Jobs And Local Reaction
Company officials told local leaders the three Indiana facilities will bring on about 880 workers to handle the expanded operations, a figure that state officials circulated as Gov. Mike Braun shared the news on X. Local economic-development leaders said the influx of investment strengthens a regional cluster of advanced-manufacturing employers and could feed apprenticeship and training pipelines, according to WTHR.
"Maintaining U.S. aerospace leadership requires sustained investment in our people, our facilities, and the technologies that will define the future of flight," GE Aerospace Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp Jr. said in the company release. That same statement said GE plans to hire 5,000 U.S. workers this year and invest in workforce training programs. The Indiana projects are part of a strategy the company says is aimed at improving production resilience for both commercial and defense engine lines, with particular attention to support for LEAP narrowbody engines.
Officials have not laid out a detailed hiring timeline. GE said that openings and next steps will be posted on its careers pages and coordinated with local workforce partners. City and county economic-development offices said they plan to track the rollout and work on connecting trainees with the new positions as they become available.
