ARCO Joins Arnold Engineering Velocity Alliance
ARCO Design/Build was selected to join a newly created Air Force Test Center industrial partnership focused on test infrastructure modernization.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Construction
ARCO Design/Build, a national design-build general contractor, was selected to join the Arnold Engineering Development Complex Velocity Alliance. The Alliance was created to accelerate sustainment, restoration and modernization of Air Force Test Center infrastructure.
Why it matters
Advanced defense systems require test facilities that evolve alongside them, and the Alliance aims to speed up how those facilities are maintained and upgraded. The partnership replaces a project-by-project procurement process with a pre-qualified industrial team.
The federal government anticipates investing billions of dollars in test infrastructure through fiscal year 2032. The extraction does not provide a specific dollar figure or project count, and the scope of ARCO's assigned work has not been detailed.
The players
ARCO Design/Build
ARCO Design/Build is a national design-build general contractor that integrates design and construction from project inception.
Arnold Engineering Development Complex
The Arnold Engineering Development Complex is an Air Force Test Center facility that operates flight-simulation and ground-test facilities.
The details
ARCO brings experience across aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing and mission-critical facilities to the Alliance. Its integrated design-build approach merges design and construction into one team responsible for the entire process from the start.
Timeline
Investment in test infrastructure is expected to continue through fiscal year 2032.
Market Landscape
The Velocity Alliance extends the Air Force Test Center's sustainment and modernization effort by adding a pre-qualified industrial partner to the program. It positions ARCO among contractors competing for federal test infrastructure work tied to the anticipated investment through fiscal year 2032.
For the public, the Alliance affects how quickly Air Force test facilities are repaired and upgraded, which shapes the readiness of the defense systems they support. Direct consumer effects are not described in the extraction.
The takeaway
Federal test infrastructure is expected to draw sustained investment through fiscal year 2032, and pre-qualified partnerships like the Velocity Alliance may become a common way to deliver that work. Readers following defense construction should watch for the specific projects and contract awards that follow.
Further reading
For more on federal building projects, see Construction coverage across the United States.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Advanced Manufacturing.
