Aeon Industrial plans 135 jobs in Cedar Park headquarters move

Austin-based defense startup Aeon Industrial plans to hire more than 130 employees as it moves its headquarters and manufacturing operations to Cedar Park. Aeon Industrial plans to build a 48,000-square-foot facility on a vacant lot in Cedar Park next door to Firefly Aerospace Inc.'s new headquarters, according to Cedar Park city documents. “We’re making this move because demand has outpaced our current production capacity,” CEO and Founder Naweed Tahmas said. Cedar Park City Council will vote on an economic development agreement this week to support Aeon Industrial’s new headquarters and manufacturing facility, which will represent a total investment of $8.5 million and the creation of at least 135 new jobs. Under the agreement, Aeon Industrial would create 75 jobs by the end of 2027 and another 60 by the end of 2028. In return, Cedar Park would provide up to $1.5 million in incentives and $10,000 relocation bonuses for employees who buy homes in the city. The agreement, which would run through 2031, also requires the company to generate at least $216,486 in sales tax revenue for the city. The company is building its facility on a roughly 342,512-square-foot lot, which has an assessed market value of about $4 million. The land is currently owned by an entity tied to space and defense startup Firefly Aerospace, according to county property records. Founded in 2023, Aeon Industrial develops autonomous weapon and software targeting systems for defense customers. The company, which has its headquarters downtown, also has offices in Alabama and Oklahoma. “Our mission is to rapidly deliver critical defense hardware affordably and at massive scale.” Tahmas said. “To achieve this, we produce nearly all major components in-house for our own products, while also supplying critical components to other defense companies. That allows us to drive down cost, increase scale and help strengthen the defense industrial base.” Tahmas said the new facility will significantly expand the company’s production capacity, and the startup hopes to move into the new headquarters by fall. Last year, Aeon landed a contract through the Army Applications Laboratory and penned a partnership with Moog, a well-established aerospace and defense supplier, to integrate their respective missiles and turrets. The companies completed their first flight test in January. “Cedar Park’s leadership leans into innovation, and they’re building an impressive tech, defense and manufacturing hub,” Tahmas said. “The talent is here, the ambition is here, and you feel it everywhere, from the government to the companies setting up around us.” Cedar Park City Councill vote on the incentives Thursday evening.