The Associated Press February 16, 2003
From guns to submarines, military using hardware made in Connecticut
From Sikorsky helicopters to Colt rifles, equipment made in Connecticut would play a major role in any military action against Iraq.
The Department of Defense estimates that it will spend nearly $4.5 billion in Connecticut this year, including $1.3 billion for submarines, $629 million for aerospace and $128 million for engines and turbines.
"The military shoot, move and communicate on weapon systems manufactured in Connecticut," Piers Wood, a visiting senior fellow at GlobalSecurity.org in Alexandria, Va., a nonprofit think tank, told the Connecticut Post. Black Hawk helicopters built by Sikorsky Aircraft and equipped with Hellfire missiles are expected to play a role in any air campaign. The helicopters also may be used to transport troops and equipment into Iraq.
During Desert Storm, Sikorsky's Pave Hawks provided combat recovery for coalition air forces in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Persian Gulf. They also provided emergency evacuation coverage for U.S. Navy sea, air and land (SEAL) teams penetrating the Kuwait coast before the invasion.
Pratt & Whitney engines, made in East Hartford, Conn. power four major combat aircraft - Air Force B-52 Stratofortresses, F-15 Eagles and F-16 Falcons, and Navy F-14 fighters - that could see duty in the Gulf. The company's engines also power C-17 cargo transports, AWACs and KC-135 tankers.
"Times like this remind us of how serious our military work is," said Mark Sullivan, a spokesman for Pratt & Whitney. "We know those pilots, in part, place their lives in our hands."
Sullivan said Pratt & Whitney is proud to support the U.S. military at any time and noted that the first engine the company produced was sold to the Navy.
"The military is an important customer," Sullivan said.
Engines made by Fairfield, Conn.-based General Electric power Navy F-14 fighters, Air Force F-15 Eagles and F-16 Falcons, as well as Air Force B1-B Lancers, Navy F-117 Nighthawks, and Navy F/A-18 Hornets and F/A-18 Super Hornets, and S3-B Vikings.
The Navy's carrier fleets are equipped with the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System E-8C. The E-8C is a modified Boeing 707-300 series commercial airframe, powered by four Pratt & Whitney TF33-102C engines, that provides radar surveillance to ground and air commanders to support attack operations.
Its sophisticated radar system is manufactured at Northrop Grumman's Norden facility in Norwalk, Conn.
The carrier fleets typically are escorted by Los Angeles class submarines, built by Electric Boat in Groton. The submarines are fast, quiet and can launch Mk48 and ADCAP torpedoes.
When the air strikes are completed, the thousands of infantry soldiers making up the ground forces in an assault on Iraq would be carrying M-16 rifles and M4 carbines, mostly made by Colt's Manufacturing in West Hartford.
Copyright © 2003, The Associated Press
