CAMDEN, NJ—The New Jersey Economic Development Authority has awarded defense contractor Lockheed Martin another $107 million in tax credits over the next 10 years. The defense contractor will use the tax savings to defray costs of two R&D labs the company has proposed to open here.

GAINESVILLE, TX—Employees at the Zodiac Aerospace assembly plant here approved a new contract by an overwhelming margin Oct. 25, ending a month-long strike at the factory, which makes aircraft seating. The key issues of the contract dispute were work environment, seniority rights and work schedules.

HAMPTON, VA—NASA’s Langley Research Center has installed a huge six-axis robot that will be used to deposit epoxy and carbon fibers for making aerospace structures and parts.

Weld nuts are installed on steel plates or sheets to provide firm, fixed threads for a mating screw or bolt.

Assemblers know that practice makes perfect when it comes to properly operating a fastening tool. They also know the importance of tool preparation, which includes torque testing and calibration.

Imagine a world without dependable global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). Air and sea transportation would stop, and militaries would be blinded.

New technology is often a paradox—offering increased capability but at great expense with a long ROI.

EVERETT, WA—Boeing has begun construction on its $1 billion 777X Composite Wing Center here. The facility will make the largest wings Boeing has ever built—114 feet long and 23 feet wide.

MELBOURNE, FL—Embraer has broken ground for a new assembly plant here that could employ 600 people. Expected to be operational by 2016, the facility will produce the company’s Legacy 500 and Legacy 450 jets.

ASHEVILLE, NC—GE Aviation celebrated the opening of its new advanced composites factory here. The new 170,000-square-foot facility will be the first in the world to mass-produce engine components made of advanced ceramic matrix composite materials.