Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont wants lawmakers to approve a $75 million incentive package for military defense contractor Lockheed Martin. It is aimed at sustaining more than 7,000 jobs at Lockheed’s Sikorsky helicopter facilities in the state. It would also bring new helicopter production lines to Sikorsky’s facility in Stratford. And the deal would keep Sikorsky headquartered in Connecticut through 2042, according to Lamont.
The company manufactures Black Hawk helicopters in Stratford. The deal would help Sikorsky’s bid to manufacture the next generation of U.S. military helicopters, the governor said.
“They’ve got a vertical lift, in place ready to go, that goes twice as fast twice as far as the Black Hawk,” he said.
The 20-year agreement does not require upfront money from the state, according to David Lehman, the Department of Economic and Community Development commissioner.
“There is no money going from Connecticut to Sikorsky. This money will be earned over time. And they will maintain certain job hurdles and expenditure hurdles over that two-decade period,” he said.
The incentives are in the form of reduced sales taxes and payroll tax credits.
Sikorsky employs about 8,000 people in Connecticut, and has facilities in Stratford, Bridgeport, Shelton, Trumbull and North Haven.
