New C-130 deal sought for Cobb County plant

Union, Lockheed Martin officials push for defense contract.

Union leaders are spearheading an effort that includes Georgia congressmen and Lockheed Martin officials to win a new government contract to build the C-130 aircraft in Cobb County.

About half of the 5,000 workers at Lockheed Martin’s plant in Marietta work on the C-130, according to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents many of them.

The current C-130 contract for 83 planes runs through 2020, the company says. Lockheed Martin and the union want another fiveyear deal in time to avoid production uncertainty or interruption.

A draft letter signed thus far by at least 48 members of Congress urges the Trump administration and Defense Secretary James Mattis to endorse an extension. The letter could be delivered to Mattis on Friday.

If a new agreement is not reached, the government is expected to still need new C-130s, but they would be ordered piecemeal. Lockheed says that would drive up costs.

Like many large defense projects, C-130 production is spread across the country – and through many congressional districts. The C-130 now involves 32,000 employees and 570 suppliers in 41 states.

More than 2,500 C-130s have been built in Marietta since the early 1950s. The plane is a military workhorse, carrying supplies as well as troops, which it can deliver via air drop or landings on short runways. It has also been used in search and rescue and humanitarian roles, and it is considered one of the most versatile and durable aircraft designs in history.

The company argues a longer order produces savings that can be passed to the government. Costs in the current order are $600 million less than they would be buying year to year, according to Robert Martinez, president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. That is 10 percent of the program’s cost.

Lockheed Martin has proposed a new five-year plan to deliver C-130Js to the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. The Defense Department has plans for about 100 more C-130 aircraft, according to the draft of a letter being circulated among Congress members.

“The (extension) would provide important stability to the program’s supplier base while supporting over 30,000 good-paying American jobs,” Martinez said in a statement.

Government officials are reviewing the proposal, according to Lockheed Martin.