PBS Aerospace opens jet-engine facility in Roswell, pledges U.S. production and hires

PBS Aerospace on Thursday opened a production and research facility in Roswell, Georgia, company and city officials said at a public ceremony; the company said the move is the first phase of a larger U.S. expansion. The date of the event was not specified in the transcript.

The investment, company leaders said, is aimed at supplying small turbojet engines for defense customers and creating local jobs. "We are just now talking about several reasons why we are just now here. We would like to be very closer, much more closer to our US customers," said Pavel Chekhil, identified in the event as the CEO of PBS Group, adding that "we are going to invest up to 20,000,000 during this first stage."

PBS Aerospace CEO Eric Durham said the company has already produced its first engine at the Roswell plant and expects to begin low-rate initial production in September, with deliveries to the U.S. Air Force planned thereafter. "We've already gotten all our capital equipment in place...we've already produced our first jet engine here in the factory, and we'll be testing that jet engine down at Georgia Tech," Durham said.

Company representatives described the engines the facility will produce as small turbojets used in drones and missiles. Durham described the TJ40 series as "about a hundred pounds of thrust" and the TJ80 as "about 200 pounds of thrust," and said PBS plans larger models, including a TJ-200 expected to enter production in 2026. "We have orders coming in to produce thousands of jet engines here in this factory in 2026," Durham said.

Durham said the company plans to hire about 100 people over the next year for assembly, engineering and support roles, and encouraged applicants to apply at pbsaerospace.com. Company officials also said they are building a suppliers network in the region to support faster production.

City leaders credited an expedited review and permitting process and local economic development efforts for enabling the rapid factory opening. "Our permits were done within hours or days," Durham said, thanking Mayor Kurt Wilson and the city council. Mayor Kurt Wilson said PBS's decision reflected "the strength of our business climate, the talent of our workforce, and the spirit of partnership that defines our city."

Roswell Inc. President and CEO Steve Stroud introduced PBS leaders and framed the project as a partnership between the company and the city. Christine Hall, a Roswell councilwoman who led a trade mission to the Czech Republic, said relationship-building during that trip helped persuade PBS to choose Roswell.

Company leaders and city officials repeatedly described the Roswell facility as the first phase of a larger plan. Chekhil said the company is planning additional production halls and aims to scale capacity "for more than 10,000 per year" in the longer term, while conceding plans are still evolving: "we will even update our plans because it's changing on daily ways."

The event included remarks from PBS supervisory-board Chairman Fisher and multiple company and city representatives. The transcript does not specify contract details with any federal agency, the precise sources of investment capital, or binding procurement awards.

Officials said testing partnerships and local educational ties are part of the plan: Durham named Georgia Tech as a testing partner and Chekhil said PBS will develop an R&D presence in the U.S. The companies and city leaders said they expect further facility expansions and community integration in subsequent phases.