Czech Manufacturer Opens New Turbojet Engine Plant and Headquarters in Roswell

Czech manufacturer PBS Aerospace has opened mass production of turbojet engines in Roswell, marking a new phase in its investment journey that officials said will help the U.S. and its allies better address present-day threats. 

The company, based in Prague with its main factory in Velká Bíteš, Czech Republic, announced last year that it would invest $20 million to set up local production in the United States. 

The factory will help the U.S. and its partners replenish stockpiles of drones and missiles depleted in the Ukraine war, meeting skyrocketing demand for U.S.-made engines from the Department of Defense. 

PBS has been selling into the U.S. market for more than a decade but saw the need to scale production closer to customers.

A grand opening of the factory and headquarters at the Northmeadow Business Park made good on that promise, bringing out many community boosters and aerospace-industry leaders for a project some leaders characterized as carrying a deeper strategic significance than what the initial capital outlay might suggest. 

That idea was reinforced by the guest list: City, county and state leaders, U.S. Air Force officials, and Vic S. Ramdass, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, among others.

Rep. Rich McCormick, a Republican representing District 7 encompassing Roswell, said military strategists have told him during conversations in the House Armed Services Committee that the face of warfare has changed, and the U.S. needs to be more nimble in its weapons platforms.

PBS has a demonstrated history of making reliable engines in a cost-effective way, he said, and it’s winning orders from both upstarts in the unmanned aerial vehicle space — some of which have facilities in metro Atlanta — and the U.S. government itself. 

“Look no further than PBS for what we have to get done: Affordable weapons systems that actually make sense,” the congressman said. 

PBS Aerospace Inc. CEO Erin Durham, a U.S. Air Force veteran, elaborated on those points in a statement:

“Our precision-manufactured turbojet engines are designed to meet the rigors, mission-readiness and reliability needed for the modern battlefield. The lightweight turbojet engines we produce are proven across the most demanding military applications, delivering performance the U.S. military counts on now, and at scale into the future.”

In a news release, the company was confident enough in future orders to tease a later $90 million investment in the United States, though it has not said whether that new project would also come to Georgia. 

In February, the first of PBS’s American-assembled TJ40 engines rolled off the Roswell line, a milestone that was marked with a live-streamed press event. The TJ80 is not far behind, and PBS expects its Roswell site to ramp-up to “thousands” of engines per year starting in 2026. 

On Thursday, engineers and technicians gave in-person tours of the new production line, showing stations where fuel flow control systems are added and some 200 parts and sub-assemblies are finally brought together in final assembly. No machining is done in-house, so the company has worked diligently to find reliable suppliers across the U.S., laying out strict quality requirements and checks. 

PBS has also brought in computerized equipment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars for balancing and calibration. In August, two new steel chambers were installed at the site to allow each newly assembled engine to be fired and run through a cycle of acceleration and deceleration before delivery to the end customer. 

This closely matches the process in the Czech Republic, where some of the newly hired technicians clad in PBS blue coveralls had just traveled for training. Many are military veterans or active-duty reserves, while some joined up from other aerospace manufacturers with locations in Georgia. PBS has pledged to hire 100 people overall at the Roswell facility. 

Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson said these are the types of jobs the city envisioned when it sent a delegation to the Czech Republic a year ago to recruit companies like PBS. 

“Positioning Roswell at the forefront of emerging industries like aerospace and advanced air mobility has been a cornerstone of our economic strategy. Tonight is proof that this vision is not just an aspiration, it’s a reality, and I can assure you that this is only the beginning,” Mr. Wilson said.

Not all aspects of production were brought to the U.S., however: PBS will continue to cast turbine blades in the Czech Republic, where it operates a massive foundry toured by Global Atlanta during a reporting trip in June. 

Sourcing from both places shows how “this move combines decades of Czech engineering expertise with the opportunities of the world’s largest aerospace market,” said PBS Group owner William Didden in a statement. 

Czech Ambassador Miloslav Stašek, now a frequent visitor to Georgia, also attended the grand opening and provided remarks.

The next morning, he joined Honorary Consul Monika Vintrlikova for a breakfast at Arnall Golden Gregory LLP to brief a group of government and economic development officials from Fulton County who will attend a major industry fair in the Czech Republic in October. They aim to build on PBS’s success in the northern part of their county. 

“Those missions like you will be passing through in Brno are very important for us, because they not only enlarge the portfolio of contacts for you, but also for the Czech companies,” the ambassador said, pointing to his plans to travel back to Georgia for another Czech company opening in November. 

Accompanied by the Czech embassy commercial team, the Fulton County group, including a few Atlanta companies, will have a chance to share opportunities in metro Atlanta during panels at the MSV Industrial Engineering Fair, as well as visit prospects outside of the confines of the event, Mr. Staşek said during the breakfast — and perhaps they’ll even get to taste some fine Czech wines.

“You will multiply the effect of your trip.”