Timken Aerospace Transmissions in Manchester has been awarded a $46.3 million contract by the Department of Defense. The funds will be used for the maintenance and overhaul of the AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter main transmission.
U.S. Sens. Christopher Murphy and Richard Blumenthal made the announcement. In a joint statement, the pair described the contract as a win for the domestic defense industry. They had petitioned the Department of Defense to avoid foreign sourcing of parts for the AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter, which is made by Boeing.
The senators were critical of the Defense Department’s decision last year to spend over $1.3 billion on foreign airframes, aircraft engines and other aircraft equipment. “We are concerned that unfettered continuation of this trend will cost vital American jobs and weaken our domestic defense industrial base,” the senators said in a letter to the Department of the Army.
Last year, Blumenthal visited Timken Aerospace with United States Army Aviation Program Brigadier General Robert Marion to discuss Apache contracting and prospects and support for Connecticut defense manufacturing.
