Ground Broken on Facility for Unmanned Aircraft Assembly & Flight Operations

XMX Defense has begun construction and facility buildouts at Mineral Wells Regional Airport, establishing a dedicated operational site for unmanned aircraft assembly, integration, engineering, maintenance, training, and flight operations.

The American defense technology company develops advanced Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for defense, government, and special-mission applications. Its portfolio ranges from smaller tactical systems to the ROGUE 450, a hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft designed for longer-endurance missions. To support this work, XMX has leased multiple existing airport facilities and initiated preparation for aircraft and systems work, engineering, maintenance, and flight operations.

The official launch commenced with an October 3 groundbreaking ceremony that gathered company leadership alongside state, local, county, and civic leaders from across Palo Pinto and Parker counties, followed by a reception at the Crazy Water Hotel.

“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.”

The project reinforces a long defense aviation lineage in Mineral Wells, which served as the home of Fort Wolters, a primary U.S. Army helicopter training center during the Vietnam era. Today, the Texas Army National Guard continues to maintain a training area on part of that site for ongoing air-supported exercises.

“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 site buildout also contributes to an expanding regional cluster 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.”

In addition to its own operations, XMX is establishing the Texas Unmanned Systems Defense Center of Excellence, an initiative designed to unite defense and unmanned-systems enterprises around shared infrastructure, collaboration, and operations. The company is currently in discussions with additional defense and unmanned-systems firms interested in joining the Center, with further details to follow as agreements are finalized.