State and business leaders are celebrating the opening of a Leonardo Helicopters facility in Santa Rosa County that will give the region an economic boost with 150 high-paying jobs, they said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis , Leonardo Helicopters CEO Clyde Woltman and others spoke during a press conference at the ribbon-cutting for the company’s new Florida Support Center.

The 113,000-square-foot center in Milton is adjacent to the Naval Air Station Whiting Field and will support the Navy’s TH-73A training fleet.

“This project and as example what can be achieved when private industry and national defense come together with purpose and precision,” Woltman said. “From military readiness to civil and emergency response missions, we are both meeting the operational requirements of

See Full Page