BAE Systems, one of Hawai'i's largest defense contractors, has begun construction of its Pacific Innovation Center at the First Hawaiian Bank building in downtown Honolulu.

The company said it will use the facility to demonstrate the systems and software it develops in Honolulu for its defense and aerospace electronics business.

The 3,000-square-foot facility, set to open in January, will use large multimedia displays to demonstrate a wide array of BAE Systems products and services. It will be linked electronically with similar BAE Systems facilities in San Diego, Calif.; Reston, Va.; and Nashua, N.H.