Saturday, March 1, 2008
- The Clarion Ledger
Mississippi stands to benefit from the selection of a Mobile site for a multibillion-dollar Air Force contract.
The Air Force announced Friday it had picked Northrop Grumman and its Paris-based partner, EADS, to build 179 refueling tankers at a site at Mobile, creating an estimated 2,000 jobs.
The contract is worth $30 billion to $40 billion over 10 to 15 years and could be even more lucrative. It is the first of three deals to replace the Air Force's fleet of nearly 600 tankers.
The facility will bolster economic development in Alabama and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran said in a written statement. "Mississippians will realize sizable economic advantages because of this project," he said.
Republican Sen. Roger Wicker, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called it a victory for the Gulf Coast.
"While the tankers will be built in Mobile, the economic impact will be felt throughout south Mississippi," he said in a statement. "I expect suppliers and other support businesses to locate in Mississippi and create quality jobs for our citizens."
Pascagoula, a 30-minute drive from Mobile, is home to Northrop Grumman.
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