by Brent Addleman
An agreement with a government contractor to make helicopters and create jobs in Connecticut is now law, Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The governor signed Public Act 22-4 early Monday to seal a deal with Lockheed Martin, the parent company of Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. Under the agreement, the helicopter manufacturer will operate in Connecticut through 2042 and will support an estimated 30,000 direct and indirect jobs.
“I can’t overstate the significance of what this means for Connecticut workers, not only for those who work directly for Sikorsky, but also for the people who are employed by the 242 suppliers located all throughout our state that contract and do business with this worldwide leading aerospace company,” Lamont said in a release. “This agreement will maintain and encourage the growth of thousands of high-tech, good-paying jobs in Connecticut for at least the next two decades. I have no doubt that this will help maintain Connecticut’s global reputation as a leader in aerospace innovation and bring more high-tech, good-paying jobs to the state.”
The two-decade pact, if the company is successful in obtaining federal contracts for a new helicopter program, provides for the production of new helicopter programs to take place in the state. New helicopter lines, according to the release, would replace current ones that are in production in Connecticut.
The deal also provides, according to the release, that the headquarters for Sikorsky will remain in Stratford with a commitment to maintain 7,000 direct jobs at the company’s production facilities in Stratford, Bridgeport, Shelton, North Haven and Trumbull.
Tax credits, according to the release, are also a facet of the contract as the state plans to provide up to $75 million in performance-based incentives culled from sales and utilizing tax offset and tax credits.
“For nearly a century, Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company, has been a proud partner to Connecticut and business across the state,” Paul Lemmo, president of Sikorsky, said in the release. “Our collaboration with the State of Connecticut on this project will sustain and help bring more high-tech, high-paying jobs to the state, while bolstering Connecticut’s leadership in aerospace production for decades to come.”
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Brent Addleman is an Associate Editor and a veteran journalist at The Center Square with more than 25 years of experience. He has served as editor of newspapers in Pennsylvania and Texas, and has also worked at newspapers in Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Kentucky.
Photo “Ned Lamont” by The Office of Governor Ned Lamont. Background Photo “Sikorsky” by State Senator Kevin Kelly.
