January 17, 2005
EADS North America today marked the latest expansion of its U.S. industrial presence with a cornerstone ceremony for the new Alabama service center that is to support EADS CASA CN-235 maritime patrol aircraft operated by the U.S. Coast Guard.
The facility, located at Mobile Regional Airport, will be a 13,000 sq. ft. center with an initial employment build-up of 30 persons. Construction on the site began last summer, and the main building is now taking shape on a schedule leading to its completion this spring.
One of the center’s primary activities will be to support the introduction and operation of EADS CASA CN-235s acquired for U.S. Coast Guard homeland security missions as part of the Integrated Deepwater Systems program. An initial investment of $1 million has been earmarked by EADS CASA North America to build the center, which is located Mobile Regional Airport near the Coast Guard’s Aviation Training Center – where the service’s pilots and ground crews will be qualified to fly and maintain the CN-235.
Delivery of the first Coast Guard CN-235 MRS MPA (Medium Range Surveillance Maritime Patrol Aircraft) is planned in 2007. An initial three have been ordered for the Deepwater program, with five more on option.
The EADS center at Mobile Regional Airport also will support the many operators of EADS CASA aircraft in the U.S., and its capacity to expand provides growth opportunities as EADS CASA North America develops its business base in the marketplace. In addition to the current building under construction (with 5,000 sq. ft. of office space and 8,000 sq. ft. of warehouse area), an additional 18,000-sq. ft. of hangar space could be added as an aircraft delivery facility for EADS CASA’s C-295 airlifter – which is being offered for the U.S. Army’s FCA (Future Cargo Aircraft) mission requirement.
“This new center reflects EADS North America’s commitment to the United States and to the communities in which we operate; through investment in facilities, the in-sourcing of jobs and contributions that we make the U.S. aerospace and defense industrial base,” EADS North America Chairman and CEO Ralph D. Crosby, Jr. told invited guests and VIPs attending today’s cornerstone ceremony. “We are investing in facilities, and we also are investing in the future of our workforce in American know-how and industrial capability.
Crosby added that EADS North America’s expansion of its U.S. industrial footprint also supports healthy and open competition, “which means innovation and best value for our customers – both government and commercial.”
The Mobile Regional Airport service center will become the new home to EADS CASA North America’s product support operation, which is moving from its current location at Chantilly, Virginia to Alabama. EADS CASA North America is one of 12 operating companies that comprise EADS North America.
“There are 45 EADS CASA aircraft operating in North America, and the U.S. Coast Guard is expected to acquire 30 or more CN-235s, so this center is an important part of our commitment to world-class service for our customers," Crosby said. “Our successes will be the foundation for the future business development in the small- and medium-sized transport aircraft sector here in the U.S.”
U.S. Senator Richard Shelby – the Alabama senior senator who serves on the Appropriations Committee for Homeland Security – said EADS North America’s Mobile aircraft service center is a catalyst for future aerospace development in the region. “We have the work force and we have facilities – and we will compete with anyone in world in terms of quality, products and our work ethic,” Shelby said.
The Coast Guard CN-235 MRS MPAs will replace the service’s aging HU-25 Falcon jet aircraft. The initial three CN-235s delivered will be based at the Aviation Training Center at Mobile Regional Airport.
“We are looking forward to having the CN-235 in our inventory,” said Captain W. Michael Moore, the Aviation Training Center’s Commanding Officer. “With its extended mission time, the aircraft will provide us with improved patrol capabilities – which are important for our increased homeland security role.”
Moore said the initial three CN-235s will be operated from Mobile both for training purposes and operational missions that cover areas such as the Gulf Coast region and down to the Caribbean.
