Middletown, Del.-based Summit Aviation has launched a 78,000-sq-ft expansion and renovation of its 160,000-sq-ft facility. The project will create additional hangars, workshops, warehouses, a training center and office space. The Delaware Economic Development Office awarded Summit a $1.36 million performance-based grant from the Delaware Strategic Fund to help the company expand the site and add up to 188 new jobs over a three-year period. Greenwich AeroGroup, Summit’s parent company, is making a $12 million capital investment in the project. The expansion got under way as the company celebrated its 50th anniversary. Established in 1960 by Richard DuPont as a small airpark, Summit has grown to a full aviation center and repair facility. The MRO offers aircraft and engine maintenance and modification services on Bell, Eurocopter, Sikorsky, Boeing and MD helicopters, and Pilatus, Cessna Caravan, Beechcraft King Air turboprops, Beechjets and other light jets. It also provides maintenance and support for Pratt & Whitney Canada and Turbomeca engines. In addition to its civil aviation role, Summit Aviation performs work for the U.S. government, including the Department of Defense, and state and local police agencies.