Two local defense contractors receive multimillion-dollar contracts for ship, planes (Courtesy of the Jacksonville Business Journal) — Two of Jacksonville’s largest military contractors have each received contracts topping $117 million to work on ships and aircraft.
The largest contract went to BAE Systems – Jacksonville Ship Repair LLC, which will be paid at least $119.3 million to modernize the USS Lassen, a guided missile destroyer based at Mayport Naval Station since 2016.
The ship, which was built by Ingalls Shipbuilding and commissioned in 2001, will undergo a complete modernization and repair, a process expected to last through April 2024.
If all options on the contract are exercised, BAE will be paid $137.9 million. The company was the only one to bid for the job.
It’s one of several multimillion contracts BAE has won over the past year, including work on a Navy support vessel, a littoral combat ship and the St. Johns River ferry.
Meanwhile, the local operation of Boeing Co. was awarded a $117.5 million modification of a previous contract to inspect, modify and repair F/A-18 E/Fs and EA-18Gs.
The aircraft are similar, both being carrier-based jets; the F/A-18E is a single-seat multirole fighter, while the F variant of the Super Hornet has two seats.
The EA-18Gs, known as Growlers, is a two-seater that focuses on electronic warfare.
Work on the aircraft mostly will be performed in Jacksonville, with some parts of the contract being fulfilled in California, Missouri and Washington.
Individual task orders will be issued for the contract, which is expected to be completed in September 2023.
Boeing has received several contracts recently, including a $264 million contract for work on the flight control surfaces of the Super Hornets and Growlers.
The company is expanding its operation at Cecil Airport, with the construction of a 394,000-square-foot facility that Jacksonville Aviation Authority CEO Mark VanLoh has called “one of the most significant in the JAA’s history.”
The $116.5 million hangar and office facility at Cecil is on schedule and set to be fully operational in January 2024, the company said.
Work done at the new facility will include maintenance on F-18 aircrafts as well as Boeing’s P-8 Poseidon and C-40.
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