Officials with Dassault Falcon Jet say the company will invest $60 million to expand its Little Rock jet completion center over the next three years.
President and CEO John Rosanvallon calls it the next big step in the company's presence in Arkansas's capital city.
"One of the big reasons we chose Little Rock was because of the people and their dedication and all the craftsmanship they are bringing to our airplanes. [Little Rock has] the largest Dassault facility in the world. We are passionate about our business and our customers recognize that and give us a lot of confidence by buying more airplanes every day," says Rosanvallon.
Site preparation will begin next year, with construction continuing through 2016.
The facility will be used primarily to build what the company calls the super-midsize (SMS) aircraft, its newest jet expected to be unveiled this fall.
Officials estimate the expansion will bring 500 new jobs to the area with a median entry-level salary of about $48,000 a year.
