Lowndes County-based defense and aerospace provider Stark Aerospace was awarded a $61 million contract Monday to produce missile canisters for the Naval Sea Systems Command of the U.S. Navy.
The canisters Stark produces will support the U.S. Navy’s Mark 41 Vertical Launch System, a Wednesday press release from the Golden Triangle Development LINK said.
“We are honored and excited to have been selected for this important project,” Stark Aerospace President and CEO David Alabed said in the release. “This contract not only reflects our team’s hard work and dedication but also underscores our capability to deliver high-quality products that meet the rigorous standards of our U.S. military and the warfighters.”
Stark Aerospace was established at Mississippi State University’s Raspet Flight Lab in Starkville in 2006. It began operations in Lowndes County in 2007 at its facility near the Golden Triangle Regional Airport.
Stark is heavily involved in unmanned aircraft systems as well as weapon components and systems, including producing missile canisters.
Canisters store and protect missiles while they are in transit. They are then loaded into launchers, like the Mark 41 Vertical Launch System.
Mark 41 Vertical Launch Systems provide rapid-fire missile launch capabilities for U.S. Navy ships, like cruisers and destroyers. The systems can launch multiple standard missile variants, and can be used for anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, ballistic missile defense and more according to a fact file available on the U.S. Navy website.
According to the Stark Aerospace website, the company welds, inspects, sandblasts, coats, and paints missile canisters during its manufacturing process. It also integrates wire harnesses and electrical components into the canisters.
Stark’s contract also includes options that, if implemented, could bring its value up to about $312 million. Golden Triangle Development LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins told The Dispatch the contract could lead to additional capital investment and jobs for the company.
“This contract is a huge win for Stark Aerospace and the Golden Triangle,” Higgins said in the release. “It brings quality jobs, strengthens our economy, and highlights the world-class manufacturing happening right here in Mississippi. We’re proud to support Stark as they contribute to our national defense and regional growth.”
The Dispatch reached out to Stark Aerospace to ask whether jobs would be added due to the contract, among other things, but was told in an email from Vice President of Proposals, Contracts and FSO Mary Nealson that the company will not be answering any questions without approval from its parent company, which it had not obtained by press time. Stark Aerospace is a subsidiary of IAI North America, the U.S. subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.
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