Defense tech provider Mercury Systems expands Arizona footprint

Mercury Systems, a defense technologies provider, celebrated the opening of a new facility in Phoenix last week after recently being selected to provide secure packaging for the Department of Defense’s State-of-the-Art Heterogeneous Integrated Packaging (SHIP) program, work that will be performed at the new Phoenix facility.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the opening of the 115,000-square-foot facility that will house approximately 325 employees with room to expand. 

The Phoenix center expands the company’s ability to work with the aerospace and defense industries. 

“With this facility expansion, we’re not only supporting Phoenix’s economic development, but also providing the DoD and the aerospace and defense industry with trusted, secure semiconductor technology,” said Tom Smelker, vice president and general manager of Mercury Microsystems. 

Danny Seiden, president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, cheered Mercury’s decision to increase its presence in Arizona.

“The expansion of Mercury Systems is terrific news for Arizona, and a testament to the pro-business, pro-innovation policies we’ve advanced in recent years to make our state a premier place for companies to locate, invest and expand,” Seiden said. “We are proud to be home to manufacturers like Mercury Systems that not only propel our economic growth, but also equip our military and aerospace and defense industries with leading-edge technologies that contribute to our state and national security.”

Also in attendance at the ceremony was Arizona U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, who spoke about the positive impact of the expansion. 

“I’m excited to join Mercury Systems for this ribbon-cutting and celebrate these new jobs coming to Arizona,” Gallego said. “Our state continues to prove its leadership in electronic manufacturing, and today’s expansion of Mercury’s custom microelectronics packaging center is yet another proof point.”

Mercury says the SHIP program work represents a shift in approach from the DoD by directly engaging with companies like Mercury to develop trusted, secure, and more cost-effective ways to design, manufacture, assemble and test in-package integration of mission-critical system components.

“Programs like SHIP are expanding our ability to partner with our government, allowing them access to our investments in onshore trusted microelectronics and our expertise in secure, heterogeneous packaging to realize the DOD’s forward-looking commitment to accelerating innovation,” Smelker said.