Defense contract will add 200 jobs at Rockwell

CEDAR RAPIDS - Boeing's big win Thursday in the Defense Department's $30 billion aerial refueling tanker program will mean 200 Iowa jobs at Rockwell Collins.

Rockwell is a full partner on the Boeing team, although it also had equipment on the rival bid of EADS North America that was not selected, Rockwell Collins spokeswoman Pam Tvrdy said.

The program is one of the biggest military contracts in history. Although EADS North America planned to assemble its aircraft in Alabama, the company's European roots fueled “buy-American” sentiment from Boeing supporters.

Boeing has said the project will mean 50,000 jobs nationwide, 800 total in Iowa, with more than 800 suppliers in more than 40 states.

Rockwell Collins will provide the flight deck, aircraft networks, surveillance/air-traffic-management equipment, communications gear and navigation gear on Boeing's NewGen tanker. The flight deck will be the same technology Rockwell Collins is supplying for Boeing's long-awaited 787 Dreamliner passenger jet.

In announcing the selection, defense officials said Boeing was the clear winner, with a bid at least 1 percent lower than that of EADS North America.

Rockwell Collins has worked since 1995 on upgrades to the current generation of aerial refueling tankers, which have been in service since 1956.

A political rally was held for Boeing's bid on Oct. 13 at Rockwell Collins' headquarters in Cedar Rapids. It brought an outpouring of political support from U.S. Reps. Dave Loebsack and Leonard Boswell, Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett and U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin.

After more than five years of delay in awarding the contract, Rockwell Collins Chairman and CEO Clay Jones recently told the Dow Jones newswire that “we'll be OK with whichever they decide.”

Jones said the important thing is that the refueling tanker be awarded, funded and initiated.

Rockwell Collins employs more than 9,000 in the Corridor. Its competitors in the process included rival Honeywell, which would have supplied communications and navigation gear under the EADS North America project.

The first 18 refueling aircraft, designated the KC-46A, will be delivered by 2017.