Kansas businesses know technology. They’re the Department of Defense’s secret weapons | Opinion
When most people think of Kansas, they likely picture wheat fields and cattle as far as the eye can see, scattered across an endless landscape dotted with oil wells and tornado scars.
But it turns out being a “flyover state” is a powerful competitive advantage when it comes to military innovation, and it’s just one of the many reasons Kansas has become the Department of Defense’s secret weapon for cultivating future-ready defense, aviation and warfare technologies.
It’s no accident Kansas has historically had a strong military presence. Our Midwestern geography far from the coasts not only made us an ideal region for positioning key military assets out of range during World War II, but it has also provided a centralized location for comprehensive homeland defense.
Despite the strong military presence, even locals may be surprised to learn about the wide range of advanced defense innovation and manufacturing going on right here in the Sunflower State.
For starters, Kansas is the king of aviation, home to Airbus’ first U.S. engineering center and Textron Aviation’s Beechcraft and Cessna brands, along with an array of suppliers and subassembly manufacturers. Beyond that, nearly every aviation platform on the market is supported by Kansas manufacturing — from the hypersonic technologies and advanced composites coming out of Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita to the mission-critical navigation technology produced by Garmin in Kansas City.
While there isn’t a Raytheon, Northrup-Grumman or any other prime contractor here for that matter, we do have dozens of companies that fly under the radar to support them, such as Wichita’s Electromech Technologies, which manufactures mission critical components for advanced weapon systems.
On the research and testing side, the National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University provides large contractors with structural testing for key innovations, including the next generation of long-range drones and digital twin programs to support the B-1 Lancer revitalization program at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Not all battlefields are strictly kinetic, so on the digital front we’ve also seen Novacoast Federal, Knowmadics and Torch.AI take root here in Kansas, providing a host of battle-tested cybersecurity, intelligence gathering and artificial intelligence solutions to support electronic warfare and defense data infrastructure. And in the biotech realm, groundbreaking research at Kansas State University is producing lifesaving defense systems to protect us against the threat of bioweapons at its Biosecurity Research Institute.
Of course, none of this is possible without cultivating cutting-edge technical talent and expertise. To that end, Wichita State University, for example, has leaned heavily into the applied learning model where students don’t just sit in classrooms and listen to lectures. Instead, they get to work hands-on solving real-world problems alongside professional engineers in support of Defense Department initiatives through programs such as the FirePoint Innovations Center.
On the topic of FirePoint Innovations Center, the National Security Innovation Network selected it to deliver the Defense Innovation OnRamp Hub program through the newly established Great Plains Mission Acceleration Center. The OnRamp Hub is a physical and virtual innovation and collaboration space designed to connect local businesses, academia and the Defense Department to support defense-focused technology development. Through this spirit of collaboration, FirePoint has partnered with Pittsburg State University to host networking events that bring small- and medium-size businesses and DoD representatives together for problem-solving and collaboration in support of the OnRamp Hub mission.
Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the key ingredient to all the state’s DoD innovation and investment: the ethos of our people. As Kansans, we know how to get things done. We’re makers, growers, builders and doers. We come together as a community, take pride in our work and support one another in overcoming challenges and achieving success.
That sense of collaboration, grit and determination is the fertile ground for innovative companies looking to put down roots and grow in the thriving Kansas defense innovation sector.
Robert Carpenter is managing director of the Great Plains Mission Accelerator Center in Wichita, which works with the U.S. Department of Defense using local businesses to help improve our military’s technology.
