XMX Defense marked the beginning of its Mineral Wells operations October 3 with a groundbreaking ceremony at Mineral Wells Regional Airport, where the defense technology company is underway with construction and buildout of existing airport facilities for unmanned aircraft assembly, integration, engineering, maintenance, training, and flight operations.

The groundbreaking brought together XMX leadership with state and local officials, as well as county and civic leaders from across Palo Pinto and Parker counties. Following the ceremony, guests gathered for a reception at the Crazy Water Hotel.

XMX Defense is an American defense technology company developing advanced Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for defense, government and special-mission applications. The company is building a portfolio of aircraft ranging from smaller tactical systems to the ROGUE 450, a hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft designed for longer-endurance missions.

“Most of us in the company are veterans of some kind,” said Clay Kroschel, co-founder and CEO of XMX Defense. “We have decades of experience across the military, aviation, and unmanned systems — and we’ve built XMX around a mission to provide the technology and capabilities that help bring our men and women home safe. We’re honored to do that work in a community like Mineral Wells, with such a strong defense aviation history.”

XMX has leased multiple existing facilities at Mineral Wells Regional Airport and has begun preparing them for company operations. The initial buildout will support aircraft and systems work, engineering, maintenance, and flight operations.

For Mineral Wells, the project continues a long history of defense aviation. The city was once home to Fort Wolters, a major U.S. Army helicopter training center during the Vietnam era, and the Texas Army National Guard still maintains a training area on part of that site, where air-supported exercises continue today.

“There’s a real through-line in Mineral Wells’ aviation history,” said Mayor Pro Tem Beth Watson. “This community helped train a generation of helicopter pilots when vertical flight was changing the way the Army operated. Decades later, the next generation of vertical flight technology is coming to our airport through unmanned aircraft. We’re proud to welcome XMX and excited to see these facilities put back to work.”

The project also adds to a growing concentration of aerospace, defense, and advanced-manufacturing activity across North Texas.

“Mineral Wells sits in a unique position,” said Chris Strayer, executive director of the Parker County Economic Development Council. “It’s connected to the aerospace and defense strength of North Texas, but it also has the space and infrastructure to grow something of its own. We’ve seen in other parts of the country how one unmanned-aircraft company can become the nucleus for a broader cluster of suppliers, manufacturers, engineers, and technology companies. As that kind of momentum builds here, the benefits could extend across western North Texas — from Possum Kingdom to Fort Worth.”

As part of its Mineral Wells presence, XMX is also establishing the Texas Unmanned Systems Defense Center of Excellence, an initiative designed to bring defense and unmanned-systems companies together around shared infrastructure, collaboration, and operations. The company is in discussions with additional defense and unmanned-systems firms interested in being part of the Center, with more details to be announced as those plans are finalized and become publicly shareable.

ABOUT XMX DEFENSE

XMX Defense is an American defense technology company developing advanced Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for defense, government, and special-mission applications. Led by military veterans and unmanned-systems professionals with decades of experience across aviation, defense technology, and aerospace programs, XMX’s capabilities span aircraft development, original equipment manufacturing (OEM), systems integration, and operational support. The company is establishing operations at Mineral Wells Regional Airport in Mineral Wells, Texas, where it is also developing the Texas Unmanned Systems Defense Center of Excellence, an industry initiative designed to bring defense and unmanned-systems companies together around shared infrastructure, collaboration, and operations. Learn more at xmxdefense.com.

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