OC Business Journal

DEFENSE: Jobs coming to Irvine after Parker Aerospace lands $444M contract

Actuator Products for F-16, A-10 and Other Aircrafts

The Irvine operations of Parker Aerospace, one of Orange County’s larger aerospace employers, has landed a $444 million U.S. military contract that will lead to more than 50 hires in the years ahead.

The Defense Logistics Agency and the U.S. Air Force said last month they had awarded the contract to Parker for support work on the “actuators” on A-10, E-3, F-15, F-16, and KC135 military airplanes.

The majority of actuators are for flight control movements, such as the flaps or the rudder that steers flying aircraft, Carl Kubat, vice president of military aftermarket for Parker Aerospace, told the Business Journal on July 25.

“We anticipate needing more than 50 new team members in the years ahead for the Defense Logistics Agency agreement with Hill Air Force Base,” Kubat said.

He added: “The work is for repair and support, and we will increase hiring in advance of military needs projections. In addition to this, other work in Irvine will need further recruiting in the years ahead.”

A-10, F-16

The names of the aircraft will probably ring a few bells with those who follow the military even casually.

A-10 Thunderbolts, made by Fairchild Aircraft and now pushing nearly a half-century of service, are the famous ground-attack “Warthogs” that the military has tried to replace over congressional opposition.

The General Dynamics F-16 fighters were deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1991 in support of Operation Desert Storm, where more sorties were flown than with any other aircraft, the U.S. Air Force says on its website.

“These fighters were used to attack airfields, military production facilities, Scud missiles sites and a variety of other targets,” according to the Air Force.

The Boeing E-3 Sentry aircrafts are the famous AWACs with the disc-shaped radar on top, used to keep track of hostile forces.

Parker Aerospace will also be performing work for the F-15 fighter jets and the KC-135 aerial refueling planes.

The Parker Aerospace contract is for five years with a one-time option to renew for another five years.

Military Controls

Parker Aerospace’s Military Flight Controls Division and Fluid Systems Divisions are based in Irvine.

Other divisions will also be supporting the work, including Hydraulics Systems Division in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Engineers for Parker Aerospace in Irvine are supporting major initiatives for the future of the company’s business, according to Kubat. That includes electrification of aircraft to make them more sustainable and effective.

A specialized Parker Aerospace team in Irvine is also developing digitalization that provides better insight into performance of aerospace products. Data scientists and systems engineers are working to better capture data so that the company can anticipate component performance.

Parker Aerospace said in April it will be playing a key role in a Sikorsky-Boeing team effort to win the prized contract for a new U.S. Army helicopter called Defiant X.

1,200+ in OC

Parker Aerospace currently has more than 1,200 employees in Orange County and was No. 6 on the Business Journal’s 2021 ranking of the largest aerospace and defense contractors in OC by local headcount.

Parker Aerospace is a business unit of Cleveland-based Parker Hannifin Corp. (NYSE: PH), which was valued around $36 billion as of last week.

Parker Aerospace has nine divisions in 39 facilities in the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

The company specializes in a wide array of aircraft research, design and manufacturing, including systems for flight controls, hydraulic, fuel, fluid conveyance, ducting, exhaust air management, pneumatic and lubrication.

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