U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he regrets that a major defense contractor has pulled out of the contest to build a badly needed new Air Force plane. And he warns that the lone surviving bidder shouldn’t expect to be able to pad the check. Gates told a military audience today that he wishes Northrop Grumman had [...] [...]
GULF COAST — Mississippi officials expressed both disappointment and disgust with a Pentagon process that prompted Northrop Grumman Corp. to drop out of the competition for an Air Force refueling tanker contract. The Northrop proposal had set off a celebration along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the Mobile, Ala., area, where some 2,000 jobs would be [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: March 5,2010
Tags: Air Force, Boeing, military, Northrop Grumman, tanker
Defense contractor Boeing said yesterday that it would bid for the Air Force’s troubled $35-billion refueling plane contract, leaving rival Northrop Grumman to decide if it would make its own attempt to build the long-delayed jets. Boeing said it plans to offer a military version of its 767 passenger jet for a fleet of 179 new [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: February 26,2010
Tags: cut and sew, manufacturing, military
TYLERTOWN — The sewing machines are running again in Tylertown. Brigade Manufacturing Inc. is leasing the former Magnolia Garment factory and making uniforms for the military. Brigade president Alton Spurlock tells The Enterprise-Journal that the company has 30 employees, and the long-term goal is to employ 250 to 300. Spurlock said the company decided to come to Tylertown [...] [...]
MERIDIAN — The Mississippi congressional delegation is lobbying for the state to become home to the military’s newest cargo plane, says Rep. Gregg Harper. Harper, a Republican, told a Meridian audience last week that the 186th Air Refueling Wing at Key Field in Meridian would be a good spot for the C-27 Spartan Joint Cargo mission. The [...] [...]
by Wally Northway Published: February 18,2010
Tags: manufacturing, military
WEST POINT — Navistar Defense, LLC, has been awarded a contract for $752 million to provide 1,050 enhanced International MaxxPro Dash Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles. Vehicles under the award from the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command will include the DXM independent suspension solution. Under the new contract, MaxxPro Dash vehicles will incorporate the DXM [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: February 18,2010
Tags: manufacturing, military, shipbuilding
PASCAGOULA — Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a $41.3-million cost-plus-fixed fee contract for life cycle engineering and support services on the U.S. Navy’s USS San Antonio class of amphibious transport dock ships. This is the second contract award to the Pascagoula shipyard for LPD ship services. The first contract was awarded in 2005. Services include post-delivery [...] [...]
by Wally Northway Published: February 9,2010
Tags: air base, healthcare, military, U.S. Air Force
BILOXI — The staff of Keesler Medical Center’s new radiation oncology clinic is gearing up to begin treating patients in March, according Maj. (Dr.) Clayton Chen, 81st Medical Operations Squadron chief of radiation oncology. Plans are already underway for a formal ribbon-cutting for the new facility in the near future. The heart of the clinic, the [...] [...]
by Wally Northway Published: December 4,2009
Tags: expansion, manufacturing, military
SHANNON — General Atomics’ Electromagnetic Systems Division (GA-EMS), manufacturer of advanced linear motors for electromagnetic aircraft launching systems (EMALS), has broken ground on its phase IV, 50,000-square-foot expansion at its 72,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Shannon. The expansion, a $4.5-million capital investment by the company, will accommodate the plant’s role as the logistics supplier and depot-level support [...] [...]
by Wally Northway Published: November 24,2009
Tags: manufacturing, military
WEST POINT — BAE Systems, through its U.S. Combat Systems line of business, and teammate Navistar Defense, LLC, have successfully completed the critical design review (CDR) for the U.S. multi-service Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program. The CDR was completed as part of BAE Systems’ 27-month JLTV technology development contract received in Oct. 2008. The CDR [...] [...]