KINSTON, N.C. — More than 400 high-skilled jobs are expected to come to eastern North Carolina with the opening of a new U.S. Navy aircraft maintenance complex at the North Carolina Global TransPark in Kinston.
Gov. Josh Stein joined military, state and local leaders Thursday to celebrate the opening of the Fleet Readiness Center East C-130/HH-60 Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Complex, one of the largest projects in the history of the Global TransPark.
“North Carolina aims to be the most military friendly state in the nation,” Stein said. “That includes supporting servicemembers, veterans, their families, and our military installations. This military readiness complex will not only strengthen our military, but it will also create hundreds of good-paying jobs in eastern North Carolina.”
The Navy plans to employ more than 400 people in skilled positions at the Kinston facility, which officials say is expected to generate approximately $164 million annually for the eastern North Carolina economy.
The military will use the massive complex to maintain, repair and overhaul several types of aircraft, including Navy and Marine Corps C/KC-130J Super Hercules and C/KC-130T Hercules transport aircraft and Air Force HH-60W Jolly Green II combat search-and-rescue helicopters.
The Navy is leasing the facility from the Global TransPark. The Kinston operation will be part of Fleet Readiness Center East, headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, where military aircraft are overhauled, assembled and tested.
More than 500 people were estimated to have attended Thursday’s opening ceremony inside the new hangar, which officials said covers an area roughly equivalent to 12 American football fields. A C-130 and HH-60 stood behind the stage during the ceremony, representing the aircraft that will soon undergo maintenance at the complex.
“The Global TransPark was first envisioned over 30 years ago as a multimodal industrial park that could become a catalyst to drive the economy of eastern North Carolina,” N.C. Transportation Secretary Daniel Johnson said. “With the completion of this project and several other economic development wins, the Global TransPark is taking another major step toward realizing that goal.”
The project adds to a series of recent developments at the state-owned industrial park, including the opening of Lenoir Community College’s Aviation Center for Excellence and the arrival of Airbus operations.
“This state-of-the-art facility represents a commitment by the U.S. Navy, by Fleet Readiness Center East, and by partners at every level of government — to invest in eastern North Carolina, to create hundreds of skilled jobs and to anchor long-term economic growth in this region,” Global TransPark Executive Director Jeremy Stroud said.
Planning for the C-130 complex dates back to 2020. Officials said the Navy selected the Global TransPark in part because it could accommodate a facility large enough to service large military aircraft while offering a central East Coast location to support military readiness.
State lawmakers approved a $350 million loan in 2023 to support accommodations for the project. Construction on the first phase began in March 2024. Most of that work has been completed, with final construction expected to wrap up next summer.
Global TransPark Authority Board Chairman Tom Hendrickson called the combination of the new military maintenance complex, Lenoir Community College’s aviation training operation and the arrival of Airbus within a nine-month period a “historic watershed moment” for the industrial park.
The new facility also strengthens the connection between eastern North Carolina’s military presence, aviation industry and workforce development efforts by creating opportunities for residents seeking careers in aircraft maintenance and other skilled aviation fields.
“This facility puts peace through strength into action — more mission-ready aircraft, faster, for the warfighters who need them,” U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. David Walsh, deputy portfolio acquisition executive for Marine Corps Aviation, said.
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