Defense Suppliers Visit: Wrong Company Name, Wrong City, Understated Employment
Statement
Source: Facebook Post, approximately March 8, 2026
“It was great to welcome a few of our district’s important employers to Washington this week. We are home to some of the nation’s leading defense suppliers, such as SKF in Falconer, Moog in East Aurora, and Astonics in Elma. These companies are employing over 1,000 Western New Yorkers and providing critical components to the next generation of American military aircraft. I’m proud of our exceptional workforce who are helping to strengthen America’s readiness and defense.”
Why This Matters for NY-23
NY-23 is home to a significant aerospace and defense manufacturing cluster that is a genuine regional economic pillar. Accurate representation of these companies — their names, locations, and workforce — matters both for credibility and for these companies’ workers, whose jobs Langworthy is citing.
Claim-by-Claim Analysis
SKF in Falconer: ACCURATE
SKF Aeroengine North America is located at 1 Maroco Road, Falconer, NY (Chautauqua County) — within NY-23. The facility manufactures precision bearing assemblies for commercial and military aircraft.
According to the Chautauqua County IDA, the Falconer facility employs over 600 people with a payroll exceeding $75 million. SKF is one of the largest manufacturing employers in Chautauqua County.
Verdict: Confirmed.
Moog in East Aurora: ACCURATE (with a note)
Moog Inc. is headquartered at 400 Jamison Road, Elma, NY (Erie County), though it uses East Aurora as its mailing address — a longstanding convention. The campus straddles the border between the Town of Elma and the Village of East Aurora. Both are within NY-23.
Moog is a major publicly traded defense contractor producing motion control systems for military aircraft, missiles, satellites, and launch vehicles. It is one of the largest private employers in Erie County, with thousands of employees across its Western New York facilities.
The “over 1,000” figure significantly understates Moog’s contribution alone — the company employs many thousands in the Buffalo-Niagara region. This may reflect only the employees involved in the specific Washington visit or a subset working on the specific programs discussed.
Verdict: Company and general location confirmed. Employment figure is a significant undercount.
“Astonics in Elma”: INCORRECT ON BOTH COUNTS
The company Langworthy refers to is Astronics Corporation — not “Astonics.”
Astronics Corporation is headquartered at 130 Commerce Way, East Aurora, NY — not Elma.
Astronics serves the aerospace and defense industries with aircraft power systems, connectivity, and lighting solutions. It is a publicly traded company (ATRO on Nasdaq) with operations across multiple states.
The errors:
- Company name: “Astonics” → correct name is Astronics
- Location: “Elma” → correct city is East Aurora
These are not ambiguous — Astronics is headquartered at a specific East Aurora address and has been for decades. A congressional office statement about a company whose representatives visited Washington the same week should have the company name and city correct.
Verdict: Wrong company name and wrong city.
“Over 1,000 Western New Yorkers”: UNDERSTATED
The “over 1,000” combined employment figure is substantially lower than the actual combined Western New York workforce of these three companies:
| Company | Location | Approximate WNY Employment |
|---|---|---|
| SKF Aeroengine | Falconer | 600+ (Chautauqua County IDA) |
| Moog Inc. | East Aurora/Elma | Several thousand (one of Erie County’s largest employers) |
| Astronics Corporation | East Aurora | Several hundred+ |
The actual combined WNY employment across these three companies likely exceeds 3,000–4,000 workers — three to four times the “over 1,000” figure cited.
The understated number may reflect only employees in specific defense-related roles, employees who participated in the Washington visit, or a conservative estimate chosen for some other reason. But taken at face value, it significantly undersells these companies’ contribution to the regional economy.
Verdict: Substantially understated.
Summary
| Claim | Accuracy |
|---|---|
| SKF in Falconer | ACCURATE |
| Moog in East Aurora | ACCURATE (minor address convention nuance) |
| “Astonics in Elma” | INCORRECT — Astronics Corporation, East Aurora |
| “Over 1,000 Western New Yorkers” | UNDERSTATED — likely 3,000–4,000+ combined |
The overall thrust — three real WNY defense manufacturers visited Washington — is accurate. The factual errors (wrong company name, wrong city, understated employment) in a formal statement about companies that were present in the same room that week are harder to explain.
Sources
- SKF Aeroengine North America / Chautauqua County IDA case study: chautauquacounty.com
- Moog Inc. website and investor relations: moog.com
- Astronics Corporation investor page and SEC filings: astronics.com (ATRO)
- WGRZ Buffalo, Moog expansion reporting
- NY-23 district maps: Wikipedia; U.S. Census Bureau (confirming East Aurora and Elma in Erie County, within NY-23)
Related Fact-Checks
- FY2026 Appropriations Credit — Pattern of inaccurate details in constituent service announcements
Note: This entry documents publicly available information from company websites, SEC filings, and county economic development records. Readers may draw their own conclusions.
Last updated: March 10, 2026