Parker Aerospace, OC’s third-largest aerospace company by headcount, has received a $222 million contract for support work on the U.S. Army’s UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, which should add to the firm’s local job base.
The Army contract is one of the largest deals the Irvine-based company has received recently, following an even larger $444 million U.S. military contract announced last year.
Under the five-year contract announced at the end of last month, Parker Aerospace will provide overhauling and upgrading services for the Blackhawk helicopters’ hydraulic pumps and for parts of the flight control systems.
Parker Group Vice President Austin Major told the Business Journal on June 5 the company will be hiring “dozens of individuals” in Irvine, Kalamazoo, Mich., and Corpus Christi, Texas.
They will be assigned to manufacturing, repair operations, account support, engineering, and other functions, according to Major.
“The contract covers multiple systems and technologies for a helicopter that is central for the U.S. Army,” according to Major, the senior leader at the Irvine facility.
He said the contract is renewable after the initial five-year term.
“This allows for flexibility as the needs of the Army change over time,” according to Major.
As a prime contractor, Parker provides supply chain, engineering and field service support of the UH-60 Blackhawk hydraulic pumps and flight control “actuation.”
$7.1B Buy
Parker Aerospace, a unit of Cleveland-based Parker Hannifin Corp. (NYSE: PH), says last year’s $7.1 billion acquisition of U.K.-based aerospace and defense firm Meggitt PLC, which long counted a sizeable local presence, pushed the company’s OC employee number of 1,807.
It now only trails behind Boeing with an estimated 4,800 local workers and Raytheon with an estimated 2,000, according to Business Journal data.
Parker Hannifin is a Fortune 250 company, valued around $47 billion as of June 13.
Recent Wins
Parker Aerospace is providing seven technology systems for the all-electric Eviation commuter aircraft being developed in Israel, including the main landing gear wheels and braking system.
The company was selected by Boeing last September for the B-52H Stratofortress hydraulic system that will power the aircraft for another 30 years.
Parker Aerospace last July was also chosen by Lockheed Martin for work involving components such as flight controls on the F-35. Parker Aerospace said it is providing “a digital fingerprint for product traceability.”
