A Department of Defense proposal to cut aircraft programs could affect United Technologies Corp.”™s Connecticut work force, including its Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. subsidiary in Stratford which has more than 9,000 employees locally.
The Pentagon plans to phase out production of the F-22 Raptor fighter jet by capping the fleet at just under 190 aircraft, down from current plans for 380 jets.
Hartford-based UTC said it could eliminate between 2,000 and 3,000 jobs at its Pratt & Whitney aircraft engine subsidiary based in East Hartford and its Hamilton Sundstrand aviation systems unit in Farmington.
“Absent continued investment in the F-22, the United States will lose critical aerospace production capacity at a time when it is in the grips of the worst economic recession in decades,” Connecticut”™s congressional delegation wrote in a letter to President Obama. “Once lost, we believe it will be extremely difficult to reconstitute such a skilled work force.”
DOD also proposed eliminating the VH-71 presidential helicopter program, which could lead to additional work for Sikorsky in maintaining the White House”™s existing fleet of Sikorsky-built helicopters. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates backed a new fleet of strategic submarines, which would provide ongoing work for General Dynamics Corp.”™s Electric Boat operations in Groton.