FlightWave Aerospace Systems Triples L.A. Footprint

Drone manufacturer FlightWave Aerospace Systems is proving, with a substantial expansion lease, that Los Angeles County’s South Bay is still a premier destination for aerospace development.

FlightWave, a subsidiary of drone technology company Red Cat Holdings, inked a five-year, 51,023-square-foot lease at a creative industrial and office property in Torrance. The deal is valued at nearly $5.4 million. Chicago-based First Industrial Realty Trust owns the facility at 2660 Columbia Street, according to PropertyShark records.

The defense contractor’s new digs is more than triple the size of its current 14,616-square-foot space at DWS Group’s Carson Industrial Center in Carson, where the company had just signed a three-year lease agreement in late March. FlightWave had quickly outgrown the Carson space, which it plans to sublet, a spokesperson for brokerage firm The Klabin Company explained to Commercial Observer.

Klabin’s Nick Buss and Frank Schulz arranged the five-year lease deal in Torrance on behalf of FlightWave. Buss and Schulz also represented the tenant in its Carson deal. Colliers’ Jeffrey Smart and Elizabeth Capati represented First Industrial.

“The property’s central Torrance location, high-quality infrastructure, and professional ownership make it an excellent match for FlightWave’s operational needs,” Buss said in a statement.

The aerospace industry has strong origins in the South Bay, beginning during World War II and booming throughout the subsequent decades. The market hit a rough patch in the late 20th century, though its trajectory has changed course in recent years. In late September, for example, Bill Gates-backed Heart Aerospace inked a 30,000-square-foot lease at 1830 West 205th Street, less than three miles east of FlightWave’s new space. In March, Trio Manufacturing tripled its space to more than 123,000 square feet at a facility in Gardena. 

Nick Trombola can be reached at ntrombola@commercialobserver.com.