Thousands of more jobs could be cut in Connecticut after Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today the Pentagon will end the F-22 fighter jet and presidential helicopter programs run by Lockheed Martin Corp.
Connecticut will likely face between 2,000 and 3,000 lost jobs as a result of this decision, United Technologies Corp. chief executive officer Louis Chenevert warned last month. UTC subsidiary Pratt & Whitney builds the F-22 engine in its Middletown facility, and Hamilton Sundstrand performs electrical work. Most of the job cuts would be felt at these companies, but in-state subcontractors would also be affected, Chenevert said last month.
The potential cuts at UTC would be on top of the 11,600 already announced for this year as part of a restructuring program.
Military analysts widely expected the radar-evading supersonic jet – considered an outdated weapon system designed for the Cold War – would not go beyond the 187 already planned. The planes cost $140 million each.
But Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed, the nation’s largest defense contractor, has said almost 95,000 jobs nationwide could be at stake if the Pentagon didn’t buy more of the planes.
The new fleet of presidential helicopters – with a price tag of $11.2 billion that was nearly double the original budget – also were considered at risk to be cut in the 2010 budget. (AP)
