Orange County aerospace and defense companies, led by Anduril Industries, Terran Orbital and Turion Space, boosted their local headcounts by 3% over the last year amid a resurgence in the sector.

“Irvine’s employee headcount increased as a result of the company’s continued focus on consolidating key functions and investing in its headquarters operations,” Peter Krauss, the CEO of Irvine-based satellite maker Terran Orbital, told the Business Journal.

Its OC headcount edged up nearly 6% to 442.

Krauss said the company “expanded its Irvine workforce to support critical engineering, manufacturing, program management, and corporate functions, reinforcing Irvine’s role as the company’s primary innovation and operations hub.”

The overall OC headcount for the 32 companies surveyed by the Business Journal climbed to 25,915 as of August, up from 25,150 a year ago.

Boeing Largest, Anduril Right Behind

Palmer Luckey’s rapidly expanding Anduril is closing in on longtime local aerospace giant, Boeing, with a 56% jump in employees.

The Costa Mesa-based defense firm had 4,986 OC employees companywide as of this month, making it the second largest defense and aerospace firm operating in Orange County. Boeing Co., with its local hub in Seal Beach, kept its No. 1 ranking but employee count slid by nearly 5% to a 5,035—a Business Journal estimate that accounts for layoffs made in 2025.

Anduril is racing to produce weapons for the U.S. military faster and cheaper than long-established defense giants can. That issue has become more acute as the U.S. military reportedly has been using up missiles at such a rapid rate that needed stockpiles have been depleted.

The privately held company, founded in 2017, is reportedly exploring a financial boost that would increase valuation from $61 billion to $100 billion as it aims to revolutionize U.S. weapons production.

“We need to build weapons that can be made by our existing automotive factories, our existing agricultural implement factories. We need to build things where we can actually build 1,000 a day rather 1,000 a decade,” Luckey told an audience at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in May.

The OC headcount at space infrastructure company Turion Space jumped 58% to 205, ranking it No. 18.

“The Orange County aerospace and defense landscape is undergoing a profound structural shift. While traditional commercial aviation and legacy defense systems maintain a steady foundation, the region’s growth is increasingly fueled by emerging aerospace startups,” said Turion Space CEO Ryan Westerdahl told the Business Journal.

Marvin Test Shows Strong Growth

Marvin Test Solutions in Irvine saw a slight increase of four OC employees to 128 for slot No. 22 on this year’s list.

“Marvin Test Solutions has experienced strong growth across our armament systems, armament test solutions, and airborne electronics businesses serving the aerospace and defense industry,” CEO Steve Sargeant told the Business Journal.

As for the two biggest headwinds the company is facing, Sargeant says: “Recruiting specialized engineering talent and managing the supply chain remain our two largest operational challenges.”

Other local companies on the list included:

– Karman Space & Defense in Huntington Beach held its Orange County headcount steady at an estimated 516 employees (NYSE: KRMN).
– Space tourism company Virgin Galactic Holdings in Tustin also held steady at 142 employees in OC (NYSE: SPCE).
– Aerospace and defense components maker Ducommun in Costa Mesa added one person for an OC total of 126 (NYSE: DCO).