4:56 PM | Wednesday, October 7, 2026
A new initiative is underway to put Minnesota’s aerospace and defense industry on the map.
More than 250 local leaders and industry professionals gathered at Hennepin Technical College in Brooklyn Park on Oct. 7 for the inaugural Twin Cities AeroDefense Summit.
While Minnesota might not be the first state that comes to mind when thinking of aerospace and defense, event organizers emphasize that the sector already has a massive local footprint with more than 300 companies operating across the state.
More than 250 people attended the inaugural Twin Cities Aerodefense Summit at Hennepin Technical College in Brooklyn Park.
The summit’s primary goal is to foster stronger connections between smaller local suppliers, industry giants and skilled workers—a push that comes at a crucial time as the nation faces a widespread shortage of aviation maintainers and technical talent.
“We just haven’t done a very good job of bringing everyone together and showcasing and highlighting what this region is already doing,” said Jeff Johnson, executive director of the Twin Cities Aerospace Network. “That’s a lot of what we’re hoping to do here is, again, promote the visibility, create connections, and let people know that we’re here and this is a very vibrant industry in the Twin Cities.”
To help bridge these gaps, the Twin Cities Aerospace Network has compiled an interactive map highlighting several hundred Minnesota organizations connected to the aerospace and defense sector. You can find that map on the Twin Cities Aerospace Network website.
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