THE AEROSPACE TAPE - Series 1
The Aerospace Tape - Week 1
The Aerospace Tape tracks how LA's aerospace and defense boom is reshaping real estate, deal by deal. Here are this week's key points.
The Office Everyone Left for Dead Just Sold for $121.5M
777 S Aviation Blvd, El Segundo -
Sold - $121.5M / $405/SF
A 28.5% loss from $170M in 2019
The Operator Take
The 2019 buyer chased a cycle at $560/SF; the 2026 buyer bought basis at $405/SF in the aerospace capital with sub-2% vacancy nearby.
Big enough discounts always find a bid.
Primary: LA County Assessor parcel + Registrar-Recorder deed (Dec 2025). Corroboration: The Real Deal.
Two El Segundo Office Buildings. $122 Million. One Signal.
El Segundo - Sold (two buildings) - $122M
The Operator Take
While Downtown sold at 50 cents on the dollar, El Segundo printed a nine-figure office trade. Capital isn't leaving LA - it's relocating to the tenants.
Primary: LA County Assessor parcels + Recorder deeds. Corroboration: LA Business Journal.
Anduril's $1B Bet: 1.2 Million Feet on a Boeing Graveyard
Douglas Park, Long Beach - Leased - 1.2M SF
750K office + 435K industrial
5,500 jobs, ~$1B, mid-2027
The Operator Take
Palmer Luckey planted a billion dollars next to Long Beach Airport. The tell isn't the jobs - it's 750K SF of new office going up when everyone says office is dead. Office isn't dead. Office without an AeroSpace community is.
Primary: Anduril announcement + Gov. Newsom statement. Corroboration: LA Times.
A Space-Drug Lab Moved Into Mattel's Old Toy Factory
2031 E. Mariposa Ave, El Segundo
Leased - 205,443 SF (former Mattel R&D campus); rate undisclosed
The Operator Take
The company that makes drugs in space picked an 80-year-old toy factory. That's the Aerospace Tape in one lease - old California manufacturing becoming the launchpad for the new boom in AeroSpace.
Primary: CBRE deal release + owner GPI Companies. Corroboration: LA Times.
Here's an Actual Aerospace Lease Number: $5.4M
FlightWave Aerospace, Torrance - Leased - 51,000 SF
5-yr lease approx. $5.4M (~$21/SF/yr)
The Operator Take
$1.76/SF for drone-maker flex in Torrance is a strong number - and it's the eleventh deal like it
1.4M SF across 11 South Bay deals, per Colliers.
Primary: FlightWave + leasing broker release; Colliers market report. Corroboration: The Real Deal.
$133 Million: When Aerospace Property Soars
El Segundo - Sold - $133M;
Defense tech = 34% of LA's $12B VC in 2025
The Operator Take
Same 18 months Downtown towers CRASHED, El Segundo printed a $133M trade. Follow the AeroSpace Mission, then follow the money.
Primary: LA County Assessor parcel + Recorder deed. Corroboration: LA Business Journal.
The Rent Right Next to SpaceX: $1.95 a Foot
Hawthorne Technology Park (adjacent SpaceX/Tesla)
For Lease - $1.95/SF IG; Hawthorne avg ~$22-23/SF
The Operator Take
Proximity to SpaecX demands a Premium and this is grabbing my attention!
Primary: the live listing (the asking rate is the primary datum). Corroboration: Hawthorne market averages.
The 1960s Aerospace Campuses That Never Left
Continental Park, El Segundo - 2120 (103K SF), 2121 (120K SF), 2175 (130K SF) Park Place
The Operator Take
El Segundo didn't discover aerospace in 2024. It's been the address for 60 years.
Now the demand finally outruns the supply. Finally great news for Southern CA!
Primary: Continental Development (building owner) property pages.
I track every commercial real estate sale in Los Angeles so you don't have to.
This is The Aerospace Tape. Series 1.
Brokers Send the OM and T-12: David@AtlasBrief.LA