Leonardo picks Alabama

If Leonardo wins the T-X competition with its T-100 trainer, the company will build the aircraft in Alabama, officials said Thursday. The Italian aerospace company plans to build an assembly center at Moton Field in Tuskegee if awarded the T-X contract. Upward of $200 million will be spent on construction including buildings, infrastructure and equipment, according to a joint news release from the governor's office and Leonardo. Leonardo had initially planned to assemble the trainers, based on the Alenia Aermacchi M-346, in Meridian, Miss., when it was partnered with Raytheon. That ended when the partnership came apart. The Alabama plant will perform structural sub-assembly, integration, finala assembly and conduct research and testing at the site, according to the release. Leonardo would lease a new facility built by a public-private partnership; the total investment in buildings, infrastructure and equipment would exceed $200 million. Plans call for creating 750 jobs over 10 years. (Source: multiple, including Defense News, Aviation International News, 03/30/17) Previous