A groundbreaking ceremony at Mineral Wells Regional Airport on Saturday marked the official start of XMX Defense's new unmanned aircraft operation, a project local economic development officials say could eventually create more than 400 jobs at full buildout. The American defense technology company is leasing multiple existing facilities at the airport, where it plans to handle aircraft assembly, integration, engineering, maintenance, training, and flight operations for a growing lineup of military drones.
According to Fort Worth Report, the ceremony brought together XMX leadership along with state, local, county and civic officials from both Palo Pinto and Parker counties, followed by a reception at the Crazy Water Hotel in Mineral Wells. XMX Defense builds unmanned aircraft systems for defense, government and special-mission customers, with a portfolio ranging from smaller tactical systems up to its flagship Rogue 450, a hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft designed for long-endurance missions. Clay Kroschel, the company's co-founder and CEO, said XMX was built around providing technology and capabilities to help bring military personnel home safely, per the same report.
A Veteran-Heavy Workforce Behind the Rogue 450
Kroschel has also said that a majority of the company's workforce is made up of military veterans carrying decades of combined experience in military service, aviation and unmanned flight systems, according to Mineral Wells Area News. The Rogue 450 is XMX Defense's flagship hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, designed for long-endurance missions, according to Fort Worth Report.
Mayor Pro Tem Beth Watson said XMX brings the next generation of vertical flight technology to Mineral Wells, the Fort Worth Report reported. Chris Strayer, executive director of the Parker County Economic Development Council, said the city has the space and infrastructure to grow its aerospace and defense footprint further.
Why Mineral Wells Made the Short List
The appeal isn't just available real estate. Mineral Wells Regional Airport features a 5,996-foot main lighted runway equipped with instrument landing systems, according to the City of Mineral Wells. The city describes the airport as outside the Dallas–Fort Worth Terminal Control Area. The municipally owned facility spans land in both Palo Pinto and Parker counties.
That geography connects to a much older local legacy. Between 1956 and 1973, Fort Wolters in Mineral Wells served as the U.S. Army's primary helicopter training center, training over 40,000 military aviators; the National Vietnam War Museum says 95% of all helicopter pilots passed through Fort Wolters during the Vietnam War. The Fort Worth Report notes that Texas Army National Guard forces still maintain a training area on part of the former Fort Wolters site, conducting air-supported exercises there. Mineral Wells, in short, has been synonymous with vertical flight for decades — and XMX Defense's arrival extends that heritage into hybrid-electric unmanned systems.
Center of Excellence Still Taking Shape
XMX Defense is also working to establish what it calls the Texas Unmanned Systems Defense Center of Excellence, intended to bring together defense and unmanned-systems companies around shared infrastructure, collaboration and operations, per Fort Worth Report. The company says it is in discussions with additional defense and unmanned-systems firms about participation, and plans to share more details once those plans are finalized and publicly shareable. No specific companies or timeline have been confirmed yet.
The project lands amid a broader defense-manufacturing surge across North Texas. A study released in September 2026 found that the private-sector defense industry across 13 North Texas counties generates $35.3 billion in annual economic output and supports 264,603 direct and indirect jobs, according to the North Texas Commission. Statewide, military installations and defense operations contribute more than $151 billion to the Texas economy.
XMX Defense's capabilities span aircraft development, original equipment manufacturing, systems integration and operational support, and Fort Worth Report describes the Mineral Wells project as another addition to North Texas' expanding aerospace, defense and advanced-manufacturing activity. It joins a wave of similar buildouts nationally, including Hoodline's prior coverage of Kratos's Sacramento drone plant for hybrid-electric cargo aircraft. For now, the timeline for reaching the projected total of more than 400 employees and the shape of XMX's proposed Center of Excellence remain to be seen as construction gets underway at the airport.
