Navy contracts to boost production at Northrop Grumman site in Mississippi

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) recently said two U.S. Navy contracts with Northrop Grumman that will increase production at the firm's Moss Point facility in Mississippi.

“The Moss Point facility is responsible for final assembly of the (Navy) Fire Scouts, and it will assume a similar role in producing the (Navy) Triton fuselage," Cochran said. "This is good news, both in terms of confidence in our workforce and in terms of maintaining stable production lines for aircraft required by the Defense Department. It is clear that Moss Point workers will play a critical role in the future of Navy unmanned aviation."

The $108.1 million contract for 10 MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopters and the $255.2 million contract for three MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft plus control and support systems will increase production at the Northrop Grumman facility. Work on the Fire Scout helicopters is scheduled for completion by August 2019. The three Triton aircraft are the first of 68 the Navy plans to purchase.

“It is clear why the Moss Point facility and its workers are being asked to play a bigger role in producing the next generation of unmanned aircraft,” Wicker said. “This increased workload is a testament to the high-quality job that they are doing to deliver cutting-edge aircraft to our national defense.”