Northrop Grumman to add sub workers in Newport News

[unhappycamper]

Northrop Grumman to add sub workers in Newport News
By Robert McCabe
The Virginian-Pilot
© July 7, 2010

Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard plans to add 1,000 workers to its submarine construction program and invest more than $200 million in the shipyard as the Navy accelerates construction of Virginia-class attack submarines to two a year starting in 2011, company officials said Tuesday.

"It is about 1,000 additional workers that we expect to support the increase in submarine production, but it's not 1,000 new hires," said Ken Mahler, vice president of Navy Programs at Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard. "Some portion of that 1,000 will be new hires and some portion will be existing Northrop Grumman employees who will be reassigned - and they'll probably mostly be from Newport News operations here."

Neither Mahler nor a shipyard spokeswoman were more specific about how many people might be hired.

Northrop Grumman employs nearly 20,000 workers at the Newport News shipyard. About 3,500 now work on the new class of attack submarines.

The Newport News shipyard splits construction of the nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarines with General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Conn. The submarines are built in sections that are then alternately fitted together at one yard and then the other.



unhappycamper comment: That's a pretty good deal - two contractors colluding to keep the business in the family.