Oklahoma aerospace agency asks lawmakers for recurring airport and UAS funding, highlights workforce and infrastructure work

The Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics told the House Appropriations and Budget Transportation A and B Subcommittee on the day of its budget performance review that it is seeking two recurring budget increases — $1 million for airport growth infrastructure and $1 million for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and advanced air mobility (AAM) infrastructure — while describing the agency’s role in education, airport construction and industry promotion.

The agency’s executive director (title given in the hearing but name not consistently specified in the transcript), speaking at the start of the session, said the department focuses on four pillars: airports and aviation infrastructure, industry promotion, workforce development and new advanced technologies such as UAS and AAM. “We have 108 public airports throughout the state of Oklahoma, 4 commercial airports, 104 general aviation or municipal airports,” the director said. The director also gave a statewide economic figure: “our state's second largest industry in aerospace and defense at $44,000,000,000 a year of annual economic activity.”

Why it matters: lawmakers and agency officials said aviation and aerospace funding supports local economic development (hangars, terminals and industrial sites), a statewide network of schools and training programs meant to feed the workforce pipeline, and new testing and manufacturing opportunities tied to UAS and advanced air mobility.

Key program and…