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PBS Aerospace to open North American headquarters, create about 100 jobs in Roswell
Summary
PBS Aerospace, a Czech maker of small turbojet engines for U.S. military drones and cruise missiles, announced it will establish a U.S. assembly and testing facility in Roswell and hire roughly 100 workers, with initial production planned for September.
Kurt Willison, mayor of Roswell, announced that PBS Aerospace will locate its North American headquarters and an engine assembly and testing facility in Roswell.
The company said it will assemble small turbojet engines shipped from the Czech Republic using U.S. suppliers and conduct final testing in Roswell, with a target move-in date of April 1 and low-rate production beginning in September.
"PBS Aerospace is going to locate its North American headquarters here in Roswell," Mayor Kurt Willison said. "We are incredibly grateful and excited." Aaron Durham, chief executive officer of PBS Aerospace, described the firm’s TJ40 engine and the company’s U.S. plans: "What we're gonna do is have a US supplier base. So all the parts you see in these engines will be manufactured here in The US. And then we're gonna take all those parts, do the assembly and all the testing here in Roswell." Durham said the TJ40 produces about 100 pounds of thrust and is used for high-speed drones and advanced cruise missiles; he added that the company’s family of engines ranges up to roughly four times that size.
Durham told the city that PBS plans to hire about 100 new employees in the metro Atlanta area, across aerospace engineering, technician roles and business functions. Earlier in the announcement, Willison said the company would bring "50 new jobs with an average pay of a hundred and $50,000," a figure Durham did not repeat; Durham later said the company will hire between 50 and 70 people between the announcement and September as it ramps up production.
Company executives cited the Atlanta region’s existing aerospace industry and local training pipelines as reasons for choosing Roswell. Durham pointed to nearby Georgia Tech and Chattahoochee Tech as sources of engineers and technicians and noted the presence of established firms such as Delta TechOps and Lockheed Martin in the broader area.
Willison and Durham credited a Roswell delegation that traveled to the Czech Republic with helping secure the location. Durham said the city’s personal outreach "really cemented those key relationships" and named Councilwoman Christine Hall, government affairs liaison Katrina Singletary and consultant Peter Sorkofferencer as members of the recruiting team.
Durham said PBS will post job openings on the company website and that the firm hopes to establish a long-term presence in Roswell. "We're looking to establish a space for years to come," he said.
There was no formal vote or city council action recorded in the announcement segment of the meeting; the exchange was presented as a ceremonial business recruitment announcement.
Details not specified at the announcement include the exact site address for the facility, any local financial incentives or tax agreements, and a full breakdown of salary ranges by position. Durham said parts would be sourced in the United States, but did not name specific U.S. suppliers or contractors.
