47G highlights Utah’s role in aerospace and defense industry on Capitol Hill

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The state may be a big player in the future of national security and defense. That was on full display during 47G’s Annual Utah Aerospace and Defense Day on Capitol Hill, which featured over 50 exhibitors and nearly 100 companies in Utah’s aerospace and defense ecosystem.  

On Wednesday afternoon, the south lawn of Capitol Hill buzzed with the sound of a drone called The Dagger. “A customer needed it for a certain mission set to go in and clear a cave or for a hostage rescue situation to send a drone in instead of an operator,” Vector operations manager Wes Pritchett told ABC4.  

While only a few inches wide, the small drone is mighty in order to carry out its mission. “We built it because this thing needs to go in a soldier’s backpack and they can jump out of a plane with it pop outside of a building, throw it through a window into the building, connect, pop up, bounce off walls, it can push open a door. That’s really what it’s intended for,” stated Pritchett. This is just type of drone the Utah-based company builds for military and police operations.   

With more than 50 vendors set up inside the rotunda, not all of the technology that was on display is intended to be used in battle grounds.   

“We’re building three different flying machines,” Electrafly’s co-founder John Manning said. “You can think of that as maybe small, medium and large but the one we’re most well-known for is of a single person flying machine. We like to refer to it as a Star Wars speeder bike.”  

Manning explained that technology is often ahead of regulation, so it may be a few years before Electrafly’s speeder bikes hit the streets, or skies.  

However, the company is also working on something that could soon be seen across the state’s ski slopes. He explained: “A better product for avalanche mitigation where we’re not going to put people in danger or where we’re not going to be reliant on technology from WWII that they’re running out of ammunition and it’s kind of going away.” The drone that would be used in these operations was on display at the Capitol. It was a couple of feet in diameter and would be able to carry charges to detonate planned avalanches.  

“We’re the fastest aerospace and defense ecosystem in the country right now,” 47G’s president and CEO Aaron Starks stated. “We should all be proud of that because anytime you have a thriving aerospace ecosystem that means higher paying more sustainable wages.”  

Starks said the industry already has a substantial foothold in the state. “This industry is phenomenal,” he added. “In fact, it’s 20 percent of Utah’s economy. Through indirect, direct and induced efforts, it’s responsible for 500,000 jobs in our state.”  

That’s why 47G was at the Capitol. Every year, it uses the day on the hill to show lawmakers the industry’s impact and promote its growth. “We want students, educators and families to get involved and help these entrepreneurs succeed,” said Starks. “Workplace, capital, etcetera, it’s a team effort. We’re grateful to share it with the State of Utah.” 

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