Aerospace and defense giant Boeing secured a contract to produce 96 Apache helicopters for the Polish Armed Forces as the company scales up its manufacturing capabilities in Mesa, Arizona.

Mariusz Błaszczak, Poland’s Minister of Defense, September 8th that the Central European nation had selected Boeing Defense, Space & Security to be its partner for the KRUK Attack Helicopter Program, an initiative started to the currently “outdated, Soviet-designed Mil Mi-24 fleet.”

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Poland has in modernizing its military. During their International Defense Industry Exhibition (MSPO), the Apache helicopters and were introduced by Adam Hodges, the Capture Team Lead for Vertical Life International Sales at Boeing.

The Apaches for Poland are all expected to be newly manufactured. As Hodges explained to reporters before the announcement, “there is no Apache [in the boneyard], and in Mesa we produce 80-100 aircraft per year.” 

No price tag has yet been released, but a between Boeing and the Australian government for 29 AH-64E Apache helicopters came in at $3.83 billion.

Meanwhile, Boeing’s operations in Mesa have only been expanding. On September 15th, Boeing the 155,000 square-foot Advanced Composition Fabrication Center, a $150 million facility which will produce “advanced composite components for future combat aircraft programs”

While Boeing said they could not disclose which programs will be manufactured in Mesa, they said that their newest facility would be at “the front end of the next capabilities coming down for our warfighter.”

This deal comes as the aerospace industry continues to grow in Arizona. Leading companies, including Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Raytheon Missile and Defense, and Northrop Gruman, have operations throughout the state in recent years.

Mark Gaspers, Boeing’s senior manager of governmental operations, highlighted the state’s attractive qualities, that “with research and university preeminence, technology clusters in areas like optics and sensors, and a large engineering workforce to grow from, Arizona has the key components for the industry’s future.”

In a statement by Boeing, the company the Apache deal will strengthen “US-Polish military ties by enhancing interoperability and cooperation between Poland, the U.S. Army and NATO nations.”

Polish officials also applauded the deal for increasing security in the region, noting that  “such a fundamental benefit is the fact that the Polish Army is armed with modern weapons. The immediate advantage is that Poland is safe.”

The AH-64E Apaches as the United States Army’s attack helicopter, built to destroy enemy targets “in obscured battlefield conditions.” They with “air-to-ground missiles that can hit targets up to 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) away.” The new model features updated targeting systems and enhanced imaging capabilities.

The post Boeing Sells Apache Helicopters to Poland, Expands Operations in Mesa appeared first on 91ֱ��.

Raytheon, one of the largest defense manufacturers in the world, is already the eighth-largest employer in Arizona. But because of the growing demand for its products and services, the manufacturing firm is expanding within the state.

The defense contractor hosted Gov. Doug Ducey at an event Oct. 2, announcing that the company will add another 1,000 jobs to the state economy over the next few years. The additional jobs will bring Raytheon’s total number of Arizona employees to roughly 14,000 and make it the state’s sixth-largest employer.

“We’ve consistently grown — we’re now at more than 13,000 employees statewide, and that’s due to increasing global demand for our products,” said John Patterson, director of public relations at Raytheon. “We’re at a period right now of unprecedented global demand for the products we make and the services we provide, and that’s reflected in increased hiring numbers and growth that you’re seeing across the board for us — in all of our programs and all of our product areas.”

by Arizona State University’s Seidman Institute, Raytheon generates a $2.6 billion annual economic impact in Arizona. Over the past three years, Raytheon’s economic impact has grown by $500 million — nearly 24 percent — due to job expansion and increased sales. As the company continues to expand in Arizona, so will its economic footprint.

“Remember that we have more than 500 suppliers statewide, and nearly half of them are located right there in Maricopa County,” Patterson continued. “So as we grow in Tucson, so does the work that we offer to our suppliers around the state, and that helps to create new jobs, it creates new revenues.”

The company has donated $1 million to philanthropic causes around the state. Raytheon employees volunteer thousands of hours every year in state classrooms, helping to tutor and mentor the next generation of engineers.

Patterson said Raytheon plans to continue hiring from the state’s universities, including Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. In fact, later this year, Raytheon will be hosting its first ever “Raytheon Day” at NAU, sending company executives and recruiters to the campus for an in-depth recruitment experience.

The bulk of the company’s new jobs will be in engineering positions, but Patterson noted that the company is hiring for positions across the board, including supply chain and contract management.

In his statement at Raytheon, Ducey described the manufacturing firm as “one of our state’s most valuable assets.”

“We are grateful to Gov. Ducey for creating such a pro-business environment in the state,” Patterson said. “His pro-business policies have created an environment where companies like Raytheon have the confidence to invest and grow, and we see that as an excellent partnership.”

The post Raytheon adds 1,000 jobs, has billion-dollar economic impact appeared first on 91ֱ��.