Hiring Is Underway With 40 Positions Already Filled

Embraer Defense & Security Inc. announced that the company is on schedule with its Jacksonville, Florida, assembly facility to begin deliveries in mid-2014 of A-29 Super Tucano aircraft to the U.S. Air Force for the Light Air Support (LAS) program.

The announcement came at the beginning of the Air Force Association’s Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition being held just south of Washington, D.C.

The contract award was announced on February 27, 2013. On March 26, a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the presence of government officials and local leaders including Florida Governor Rick Scott, Congressman Ander Crenshaw, and Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown marked the opening of the 40,000-square-foot assembly hangar located at Jacksonville International Airport. Shortly thereafter, Daniel W. Culleton, Jr., a seasoned professional with extensive experience in aircraft production and delivery of complex integrated structures for the aerospace and marine industries, joined the company as General Manager. Culleton’s experience includes more than 30 years working for Northrop Grumman Corporation and its predecessor, Grumman Corporation, in a variety of operational, production and management positions. He will oversee all operations at the Jacksonville facility.

More recently, another seasoned executive, David J. Hall, joined the company as Director of Contracts. Hall brings extensive industry experience with ITT, Rockwell Collins, Thales, and Textron, among other companies.

Hiring has commenced at an accelerated pace from the local Jacksonville community where, as of today, 40 critical positions have been filled for areas encompassing Production Engineering, Quality Engineering, Logistics, and A&P technicians.

According to Culleton, “This facility will perform pre-equipping, mechanical assembly, structural assembly, systems installation and testing, and flight testing of A-29 Super Tucano aircraft. It is the latest in a series of recent expansions by Embraer in Florida and the first for Defense & Security.”

“As the aircraft selected for the LAS program, the A-29 Super Tucano will be used to provide light air support, reconnaissance and training capabilities to the Afghanistan military,” said William Buckey, Vice President, Business Development, Embraer Defense & Security. “This award also opens the door to additional orders from other nations under the Building Partnership Capacity program,” he added.

(Super Tucano pictured in file photo)

FMI: www.BuiltForTheMission.com