Airbus Alabama facility in line to build tanker aircraft with Lockheed Martin
Jim Taiclet, chairman, president and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation, speaks during the announcement of a partnership between Airbus and Lockheed Martin to develop a refueling tanker for the U.S. Air Force. (Dennis Washington / Alabama NewsCenter)
The Airbus manufacturing facility in Mobile is poised for potential growth, thanks to plans announced Monday by the aerospace company and Lockheed Martin to collaborate on a refueling tanker aircraft if the partners win an Air Force competition.
In a news conference at its Alabama facility, Airbus said it would begin building A330 aircraft in Mobile that would be converted into a tanker outfitted for military use at Lockheed Martin’s plant in Marietta, Georgia. Lockheed Martin — which also has a major presence in Alabama — provided details in an announcement released Monday morning.
The tanker aircraft, called the LMXT, would represent a significant new chapter for the Alabama Airbus facility, where the company builds A320 and A220 passenger jets. The $1 billion factory at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley employs about 1,000 people.
“Establishing this production work in Alabama and Georgia confirms Lockheed Martin’s commitment that the LMXT will be built in America, by Americans, for Americans,” said Lockheed Martin Chairman, President and CEO James Taiclet. “The LMXT will strengthen global security by enabling our U.S. service members to carry out their most critical missions at extended ranges.
“At home, the LMXT will strengthen job growth and manufacturing by drawing on the experience and talents of a high-tech American workforce in two states that are proven leaders in aviation,” he said.
Lockheed Martin and Airbus plan to compete for a new contract from the Air Force for aerial refueling tankers as part of a competition set to begin later this year.
“Today’s announcement further cements Alabama’s reputation for excellence in the aerospace industry,” Gov. Kay Ivey said. “We have a world-class workforce making Mobile a top city for manufacturing and innovation, and we are excited to welcome the Lockheed Martin LMXT to Brookley.
“This state-of-the-art aircraft is the right plane for the war fighter, and we’re thrilled to have it built in Alabama.”
Ivey joined Airbus officials and local leaders at the announcement ceremony at the Brookley facility. Lockheed Martin scheduled a formal announcement at its Georgia facility later in the day.
“This partnership between Lockheed Martin and Airbus brings together two titans in the aerospace/aviation sector,” said Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “It also heralds a new shared synergy in the military aviation space between the state of Alabama and the state of Georgia as Airbus will assemble the well-proven A330 jet aircraft in Mobile and Lockheed Martin will militarize the jet, transforming it into the LMXT.
“From the Alabama perspective, this signifies the potential of a significant expansion of Airbus’s activities in Mobile and could elevate Alabama’s critical role in our national defense,” Canfield said.
Lockheed Martin, Airbus announce plans to build military tanker from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
For France-based Airbus, Monday’s announcement represents its second attempt to provide the Air Force with an aerial refueling tanker, made in Mobile. In 2011, Airbus was part of a winning team for the first phase of the contract, but the decision was reversed and the contract awarded to Boeing.
Airbus later began producing passenger aircraft at the Brookley site. Its tanker aircraft, based on the A330-200, has been ordered by NATO, Australia, France, the United Kingdom and several other nations.
“Over our 50-year history in the U.S., some of our proudest moments have come from supporting our American service members,” said C. Jeffrey Knittel, chairman and CEO of Airbus Americas. “Our U.S. workforce, which is more than 35% military veterans, is eager to see an Air Force tanker join the fleet of Airbus aircraft flying for the U.S. Army, National Guard, Navy and Coast Guard.”
Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed Martin’s presence in northern Alabama spans more than five decades, with a concentration in the rotorcraft and hypersonics sectors. More than 2,600 Lockheed Martin employees live and work in Alabama. In October, Lockheed Martin opened an advanced production facility in Courtland focused on hypersonic strike production.
Our LMXT offering for the @usairforce will be built in Georgia and Alabama and extend our 60+ year history of delivering tankers to U.S. and global operators.
Watch for more on how our proven, ready solution will fuel future missions. pic.twitter.com/jdtgGPrlEV
— Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) January 31, 2022
“Alabama Power was involved in supporting the original tanker project that unfortunately never came to fruition,” said Alabama Power Mobile Division Vice President Patrick Murphy. “Over the last 10 years, Alabama Power has partnered with the Alabama Department of Commerce and Team Mobile to strategically support the growth of Airbus and its supplier base. Alabama Power’s Mobile Division and our corporate Economic Development group have worked steadily to lay the framework for Airbus and Lockheed Martin to be successful in this project and we will continue to lend our support as the project evolves.”
This story originally appeared on the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Made in Alabama website.
