Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Fighter jet program brings jobs to Cincinnati

Lockheed Martin brought its F-35 Lightning II mobile cockpit to GKN Aerospace in Cincinnati on Wednesday, where officials and local politicians touted the economic impact the fighter jet program is having locally. 

The F-35 is a fifth-generation combat fighter being developed by Lockheed Martin with manufacturers in Cincinnati providing components. The program is projected to cost $1 trillion over 55 years.

GKN Aerospace produces the aircraft’s canopy, engine front fan case, electro-thermal ice protection system for its engine, and composite and metal structures for the fighter.

“We’re really proud to be a part of the F-35 program,” GKN Aerospace vice president and general manager Floyd McConnell said. “We’re proud to see it strong and vibrant. It’s really good for Cincinnati.

GKN has 250 local employees working on making components for the fighter, company engine products vice president and general manager James Burkhardt said. Over the past four years the work on the program has brought $13 million in capital and technical investment to the area, Burkhardt said. GKN has added about 30 jobs to accommodate work on the program and is looking to hire an additional 35. It is hosting a career fair on Sept. 6 at its Deerfield Road facility to fill those positions.

U.S Rep. Brad Wenstrup said the F-35 program is responsible for 3,000 direct and indirect jobs in the region. He said the program, which is the Pentagon’s costliest weapons program, is vital for the country’s national security.

“I’m a believer that we can do a lot as a deterrent, and when we have an upper hand, that’s a deterrent,” Wenstrup said. “We have a tough time in this country right now with costs. In a lot of ways, I worry that we’re making our strategy – our defense strategy, our security strategy – based on a budget rather than the other way around.”

Wenstrup said he got a chance to test the F-35 cockpit simulator in Washington, D.C., where he made the virtual world a safer place before crash landing.

Story, Video and Photo:   http://www.bizjournals.com


Andy Brownfield | Courier 
 U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup tests the F-35 cockpit simulator at GKN Aerospace on Wednesday.

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