How many Israeli companies are in Virginia?

119 Israeli-founded companies generating $2.3 billion in economic output and 7,840 jobs. Proximity to the Pentagon and federal procurement infrastructure makes Virginia the primary US defense corridor for Israeli companies.

Where is IAI's US headquarters?

IAI North America operates from a 30,000 sq ft facility in Herndon, Virginia (Fairfax County), with over 200 employees and approximately $800 million in annual US revenue.

What is the oldest Israeli defense operation in Virginia?

Elbit Systems has manufactured night vision systems in Roanoke, Virginia since 1959, through its subsidiary Elbit Night Vision, one of the oldest continuous Israeli-connected defense manufacturing operations in the United States.

Virginia: Israel's Defense Corridor in America

Sixty-six years. That is how long the Roanoke County night vision facility has been manufacturing for the US military. It opened in 1959 as an ITT plant. Passed through Exelis and Harris Corporation. Now it belongs to Elbit Systems of America — the US subsidiary of Israel's Elbit Systems.

In November 2025, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced a $30 million expansion of the facility. 288 new jobs. Workforce to over 1,000. Low-light night vision devices and image intensification tubes — the hardware American soldiers carry into the field.

This is not a startup story. This is industrial infrastructure.

The Numbers

USIBA's 2025 economic-impact study for Virginia documents the scale:

119 Israeli-founded companies operating in Virginia. $2.3 billion in gross economic output. 3,767 direct jobs. 7,847 total jobs with multiplier effects. $998 million in value added to the Virginia economy. Average earnings: $77,408 per employee.

Virginia's per-company output — $19.3 million — is the highest of any state Olam has tracked in this series. The reason is defense. Defense companies are capital-intensive. The contracts are large. The margins sustain high-wage manufacturing employment for decades.

The Three Anchors

Elbit Systems of America — Roanoke County. Night vision manufacturing. 1,000+ employees after the 2025 expansion. Operating since 1959 under successive corporate owners. Governor Youngkin approved $1.5 million in state incentives. The facility produces the image intensification tubes that go into every US military night vision device Elbit supplies. The full 11-facility US footprint, including Roanoke's place in it, is mapped in Olam's national Israeli defense-tech corridor study, and 5W's original state-level research on this facility is covered in Ronn Torossian's report on Virginia's Elbit corridor.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) North America — Herndon, Fairfax County. Israel's largest aerospace and defense company operates its North American headquarters from the Dulles Technology Corridor, directing $800 million in annual US business. IAI expanded its Fairfax headquarters in 2019. In 2024, it launched IAI Catalyst — an aerospace accelerator in partnership with Starburst Aerospace, supporting startups in AI, quantum science, sustainability, and space technology.

Sabra Dipping Company — Chesterfield County. A Strauss Group/PepsiCo joint venture operating the world's largest hummus factory. 500+ employees. Three expansions since 2010. Chesterfield County leads all Virginia counties with 2,351 Israeli-linked jobs.

Why Virginia Is Different

Florida is the entry point. Texas is the scale-up partner. Georgia is the 33-year institutional relationship. Virginia is the procurement corridor.

Fairfax County hosts 38 of the world's top 100 defense companies. The Pentagon, CIA, and NSA are within 30 miles of the Dulles Technology Corridor. The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority has maintained a Tel Aviv office since 2004. The Virginia Israel Advisory Board has operated as a state agency since 1996.

For Israeli companies selling to the US government — Virginia is the only logical base. The customer is next door.

The Institutional Layer

VIAB — led by Executive Director Dov Hoch — distributed $3 million in BIRD Foundation R&D grants in 2024 alone. Twenty-five grants awarded since inception.

Hoch: "Life sciences, agriculture, deep tech and especially defense have tremendous potential to attract hundreds of millions of dollars in investment in Virginia that bring thousands more jobs and innovation to our communities."

USIBA identifies agriculture and life sciences as priority growth sectors — underdeveloped opportunities for Israeli companies alongside the established defense corridor.

The Four-State Picture

Virginia is one of several states Olam tracks for Israeli economic footprint:

New York — $19.5B output, 57,145 jobs, 648 companies

California — $9B output, 22,650+ jobs

Florida — $7.3B output, 429 companies, 26,510 jobs

Texas — $3.2B capital, 4,200+ jobs

Virginia — $2.3B output, 119 companies, 7,847 jobs

Georgia — $5.4B cumulative trade, 50+ companies. See Ronn Torossian's report on Georgia's own defense corridor, anchored by Robins Air Force Base and Lockheed's Marietta F-35 line.

Israeli companies are not experimenting in America. They are embedded. The geographic map has shifted. Virginia is where the defense corridor sits.

For the communications-strategy implications of this defense-tech visibility shift, see 5W's Defense & Aerospace AI Visibility Index and its practice guidance on defense tech PR and public trust.