Skyeton, Inc., a manufacturer of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), will create 162 new jobs in Cumberland County. The company will invest more than $3.1 million in Fayetteville to establish its first flagship manufacturing operation in the United States.
Headquartered in Las Vegas, Skyeton, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Skyeton Holdings, a global manufacturer of UAS for the defense and commercial sectors. Skyeton has more than 350,000 combat-proven flight hours of its long-endurance Raybird platform for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. The company’s expansion will use cutting-edge technologies to design, engineer, manufacture, test, distribute, and support its composite UAS from a 28,500-square-foot production facility.
“Expanding our manufacturing footprint in North Carolina is about more than opening a new facility. It’s about strengthening America’s defense industrial base, creating high-quality American jobs, and delivering combat-proven capabilities closer to the warfighters we exist to serve,” said Rigoberto (Quito) Sáez, CEO of Skyeton, Inc. “North Carolina is the perfect place to call home, and we’re incredibly grateful for the warm reception and tremendous support we’ve received…Together, we’re building the next generation of American unmanned systems and helping ensure our nation’s and partner nations’ warfighters, defenders, and first responders have the capabilities they need when it matters most.”
Although wages will vary by position, the annual average salary for the new positions will be $70,759, which exceeds Cumberland County’s average of $49,382. These new jobs could potentially create an annual payroll impact of more than $1.4 million for the region.