(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., announced $48 million in federal funding Tuesday to help develop thermoplastic materials in Spokane for aircraft in the defense and commercial markets.
The Biden administration designated the American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center in Spokane as one of 31 Tech Hubs established by the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act. The $48 million announced Tuesday will establish a “first-of-its-kind testbed facility.”
According to a U.S. Senate press release, the AAMMC will develop thermoplastic materials that are lightweight, heat-moldable, and intended to replace certain parts. Spokane will focus on creating the materials for large aerostructures, which are components of a plane’s airframe.
“The country that figures out how to use advanced materials to increase manufacturing capacity and aircraft fuel efficiency is going to have a huge competitive advantage,” Cantwell wrote in the release. “America is handing the baton to Spokane – establishing it as an innovation testbed.”
Cantwell, the ranking member on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation, hopes the AAMMC will help secure the nation’s spot in leading the aviation industry.
According to the release, the global industry needs to produce more than 40,000 planes in the next two decades to meet demands. AAMMC will develop and test these new materials, which are “rapidly produced and recyclable,” before ramping the project up to full-scale production.
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, applauded the funding along with Cantwell on Tuesday. According to the release, Murray has secured $541 million for all the Tech Hubs since 2023 and hopes to provide another $100 million this year.
“These new resources build on the hundreds of millions I fought hard to secure for Tech Hubs under tough funding constraints,” Murray wrote in the release. “This award is a testament to the cutting-edge research and incredible collaboration happening across Washington state.”
According to a July 2024 Seattle Chamber of Commerce report, aerospace manufacturing is crucial to the state economy. In 2023, the industry generated $71 billion in revenue across Washington, supporting 194,000 direct and indirect jobs that paid almost $20 billion in income.
According to the report, the aerospace industry, including indirect and induced fiscal impacts, provided more than $580 million in tax revenue for the state that year. Spokane’s designation as a Tech Hub will allow the region to benefit from that continued growth.
As the industry grows, so will Spokane’s job opportunities and tax revenue.
“We will benefit tremendously from the business expansion and good jobs that will result from this,” Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown wrote in the release. “I’m grateful to Senators Murray and Cantwell and the Biden administration for creating and funding this generational opportunity.”
