PLANT 42'S WORK FORCE DOWN 300; MAJOR CONTRACTORS WIND DOWN BIG PROJECTS, BUT MORE TO COME.Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer Jobs at Air Force Plant 42 dipped by 300 workers between summer 1998 and January 1999, but employment is still up from a year ago and there are reasons to be optimistic op·ti·mist n. 1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome. 2. A believer in philosophical optimism. op , the installation's commander said Monday. The production and flight test installation had 9,500 workers as of last month, down from 9,800 in July. The work force is still up, however, by 1,000 workers from the same period last year. ``In the overall scheme of things we're pretty pleased with the numbers,'' said Lt. Col. Bob Catlin, commander of Plant 42. ``Even though the numbers are down it doesn't mean it's an indication of a trend downward.'' The decline can be attributed to Boeing wrapping up modification work on the shuttle Atlantis, resulting in about 80 layoffs, and the departure of the last B-1B bomber to receive maintenance work in Palmdale. Boeing's military aircraft unit cut about 160 jobs this fall. One reason for optimism is the Lockheed Martin For the former company, see . Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a leading multinational aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. Skunk skunk, name for several related New World mammals of the weasel family, characterized by their conspicuous black and white markings and use of a strong, highly offensive odor for defense. Works, which employs about 6,000 people. Company officials believe the Skunk Works could grow to 10,000 or 15,000 employees over the next five years. The Skunk Works is working on two major, high-profile government contracts - the X-33 program, which is geared toward developing a reusable spaceship, and the development of prototypes for the joint strike fighter program The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) became synonymous with the later F-35 Lightning II, however until 2001 the term was applied to the competition between the Boeing X-32 and Lockheed Martin X-35. . The Skunk Works employment numbers are counted as part of Plant 42's work force even though the company operates its own plant, Plant 10. The Skunk Works plant shares Plant 42's runways and taxiways. Another plus will be the arrival this summer of the space shuttle space shuttle, reusable U.S. space vehicle. Developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), it consists of a winged orbiter, two solid-rocket boosters, and an external tank. Columbia. Boeing's Reusable Space Systems Division will be performing modifications on the orbiter, work that typically takes about eight to nine months and employs about 300 people. On the downside On the Downside is an EP by the San Diego, California band Counterfit, released by Alphabet Records in 2000. It was the band's first EP, recorded shortly after the members had relocated to San Diego from Fairfield County, Connecticut. , Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is an aerospace and defense conglomerate that is the result of the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company is the third largest defense contractor for the U.S. expects its Palmdale employment to drop from about 2,700 to 2,000 this year. The company is winding up work on modifying the B-2 stealth bomber fleet, which was built at Plant 42. |
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