CARLISLE — As the two-day Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit drew to a close Wednesday afternoon, U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick announced 30 projects totaling nearly $10 billion that he said would advance American shipbuilding, munitions, the space industry and emerging technologies such as AI and robotics.
McCormick, a Republican from Squirrel Hill, said the projects would support more than 4,000 jobs combined.
Many of the deals were in the works before the summit began, but the announcements coincided with the end of the event and what McCormick hopes will be a focus on securing similar deals in the future.
“Pennsylvania is proving it can deliver, bringing the innovation, the workforce and the will to build” America’s military strength, McCormick said in a statement.
Here’s a look at the projects with ties to Southwestern Pennsylvania, according to McCormick’s office:
• EOS Energy was awarded a Golden Dome for America contract from the Defense Department to develop long-duration energy storage to support the proposed defense shield.
• Air, formerly Govini, is planning a 10-year, $450 million expansion of its Pittsburgh office that is expected to add 40 jobs.
• A $14 million to $30 million investment would enable the Acutronic Group to develop a Pittsburgh facility that McCormick said would be the world’s largest facility “dedicated to rate tables, hardware-in-the-loop simulators and stabilized platforms.” The investment is expected to double Acutronic’s Pennsylvania workforce, adding about 100 jobs over five years.
• A pilot project by Firepoint Energy in Tunnelton, Indiana County, could result of an investment of $170 million to $2 billion, McCormick’s office said. The proposed facility would convert waste coal into synthetic jet fuel, power and critical minerals.
• The North Shore-based cybersecurity and data technology company Qintel secured an $84 million, multiple-year contract with U.S. Cyber Command.
• McCormick said the Air Force is expanding the Squirrel Hill-based Blade Diagnostics’ SmartBlend engine sustainment platform across its entire F-35 fleet in a move projected to save $1 billion to $2 billion.
• Carnegie Robotics was selected for the third phase of an Army autonomous ground logistics program, positioning the company for a future production opportunity worth up to $400 million.
• Reflection has entered into agreements to serve as an open-model AI provider to the Energy Department and Pentagon.
• The North Side-based Astrobotic was acquired by Voyager Technologies in a deal estimated at $300 million that will rebrand the company as Voyager Lunar Systems. The deal is expected to add 150 jobs locally.
• The California-based Aalyria Technologies signed a deal to use a new Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) in Pittsburgh’s Bakery Square, growing its local team with talent from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh.
• Parallax Advanced Research and the Regional Industrial Development Corp. are building the new, $10 million SCIF in Bakery Square.
• The New Kensington-based Re:Build Manufacturing launched a line of lithium-ion drone battery packs as part of an $81 million investment. The deal is expected to create up to 300 jobs.
• The University of Pittsburgh is launching a consortium that spans 13 Defense Department medical research labs, Carnegie Mellon University and industry to advance autonomous battlefield medicine.
• Trivedi Institute at the University of Pittsburgh is looking to develop a new institute for space and global biomedicine, with six jobs planned in Year 1.
• Carnegie Mellon University, Carnegie Foundry, ViDARR and Envision Technology launched the Autonomous Systems Manufacturing Platform, leveraging more than $50 million in Carnegie Mellon investment.
• The new Southwest Pennsylvania Defense Ecosystem will be a coalition of government, industry and academia leaders spanning 10 counties.