JOHNSTOWN — Horizon Aerobotics, a Houston-based company, will soon open a remote operations center at the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport, a move that’s expected to create about 250 jobs.

Earlier this week, Aerium, a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the pipeline between students and the aerospace industry, announced it has forged a strategic partnership with Horizon Aerobotics.

The partnership was designed to provide Horizon Aerobotics with a ready-made workforce, said Glenn Ponas, Aerium’s executive director.

Ponas said Aerium is building specific drone pilot training courses for construction and critical mission infrastructure through career and technology centers, universities and high schools. That includes — but is not limited to — the Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center, Saint Francis University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, he said, noting Aerium has relationships with several other universities and technology centers throughout the commonwealth.

Aerium plans to anchor Horizon Aerobotics’ operations center at the airport’s Mid-Atlantic Opportunity Park for critical infrastructure inspections via drone, according to Larry Nulton, Aerium’s chairman and chief executive officer.

Later this year, Aerium will break ground on the Johnstown Aviation and Aerospace Innovation Center at the airport, which will be the long-term home of Horizon Aerobotics’ operations center, Ponas said.

Nulton said Aerium was able to build the current infrastructure at the airport through a $2 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant for its Drone814 program, which deploys drones beyond a visual line of sight to deliver lifesaving medical supplies to emergency scenes faster than traditional first responders.

The infrastructure has sensors and radars that allow pilots to see the drones and surrounding airspace on a screen, much like an aircraft, Nulton said.

“That allowed Horizon Aerobotics to come to Johnstown from Houston because they didn’t have the infrastructure set up,” Nulton said. “What they’re doing now is inspections of railcars with AI and drones. It’s really cool.”

Horizon Aerobotics’ employees will be able to operate the drones from the airport over railways and rail yards that are tens of thousands of miles away, using cameras to inspect them, Nulton said.

Ponas said the operations center will be staffed 24/7, 365 days per year by several drone pilots at once.

Having an already-trained staff was also part of what made the proposition of coming to Johns­town valuable for Horizon Aerobotics, Ponas said.

“It’s in Johnstown where there’s this confluence of innovation and workforce development,” Ponas said. “We’re one of the few areas in the entire United States that gets all of that is wrapped together.”

Cambria County Commissioner Tom Chernisky said he appreciates Horizon Aerobotics for seeing the value and potential of Cambria County, its airport and the surrounding region.

“Their decision to invest here demonstrates the strength of our workforce and infrastructure,” Chernisky said, adding Aerium is committed to growing and expanding the local economy.

“We are not building a new economy, we are growing one that exists and is gaining momentum,” he said. “Their vision and persistence have helped position the John Murtha Johns­town-Cambria County Airport as a regional asset that creates jobs and drives opportunity in our region.”

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.