Amarillo got some good news on Monday. Bell Helicopter announced that they are expanding their plant in Amarillo. The 919,000 square-foot plant will be enlarged by another 176,000 square-feet.
The plant is being expanded because the company just got a new 5 year $10 billion contract from the Pentagon. The military is ordering another 167 V-22 Osprey aircraft. The company is currently producing 17 of the aircraft each year, and they want to up the production to 30 aircraft per year.
Over the next decade, the company also expects to increase production of AH-1 Cobra and UH-1 Huey helicopters for the Marines. The Amarillo plant is an assembly point for the three aircraft.
The plant currently employs 836 workers, and the company expects to up that to about 1200 workers. This is great news for a growing city like Amarillo. These are good well-paying jobs with benefits -- not minimum wage fast-food jobs.
Thank you Bell Helicopter!
My best guess is that the Ospreys are going to get axed by the next President, so don't count your penguins before they're hatched. That said, the Cobras and Hueys definitely are going to need to be upped production-wise, the current crop have been worn to shreds in Afghanistan and Iraq and are nearing the end of their airframe life.
ReplyDelete- Badtux the War Penguin
Yes, good news....BUT..(you knew there had to be a "BUT", right?)
ReplyDeleteI'd make sure that the environment is protected first thing. What happened in San Antonio's Kelly AFB happens all the time in places where aircraft engines get degreased.
What happened? Since WW11, the government and its contractors dumped the solvents used for degreasing onto the ground when the barrels containing the used chemicals filled. The toxic plume spread into the groundwater in neighborhoods surrounding the base. The number of people contracting cancer and ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) has been far far above the national norm.
If they intend to up production, I'd be actively checking on their safety regs for pollution. Benzene as an additive for morning coffee is NOT recommended.
Mick