Defense

Northeast Indiana's defense industry is intelligent and capable. Local defense contractors bring in millions of dollars every year, employ thousands of specialized personnel and develop products that change our Nation. Including such giants as General Dynamics, ITT and USSI, the defense industry in Northeast Indiana is vitally important to the region. 

Indiana Defense Industry: SuccessesNortheast Indiana defense contractors were awarded over two billion in prime contracts from 2005 to 2006. And, for our more-than one-hundred-twenty defense contractors in Northeast Indiana, those contracts continue to come in. Recently, ITT Corporation's Aerospace Communications Division in Fort Wayne was awarded a contract modification totaling more than 7.5 million dollars. This is in addition to the original contract and will bring the number up towards the 93 million dollar mark for defense industry leader, ITT.

Indiana Defense Industry: LeadersThe wide range of products and services offered by northeast Indiana defense industry contractors requires a skilled and specialized workforce. Indiana's defense industry employs thousands of talented engineers, designers and technically trained software engineers. The ability to find existing talent and attract new talent in Northeast Indiana is one of the factors in defense contractors' successes in northeast Indiana.

Major Employers
ITT Communications Systems
1,837
Raytheon Systems Co.
1,200
Navistar International Inc.
1,150
B.A.E. Systems Platform Solutions
1,000
Ultra Electronics - USSI
350
Riverside Manufacturing
300
Stuart Integrated Systems
230
Reelcraft Industries
160
Huntington Electric Inc.
102
General Dynamics C4 Systems
75

 

Indiana Defense Industry: WorkNortheast Indiana defense contractors work across a variety of defense-related disciplines to produce innovative devices that serve our troops both on the ground and in the air. The defense industry in northeast Indiana produces assets such as communication systems for use underwater, on the ground, in the air and via satellite.  Northeast Indiana defense contractors also contribute to our nation's aerospace products and parts, battlefield software, armored vehicle components, logistics and research and development.

Maps

View Defense Industry in a larger map

The Northeast Indiana defense industry is smart and capable. Their impressive revenue numbers, important contribution to our Nation's defense and widespread presence in our region makes defense one of the strongest northeast Indiana industries. With four of the major players in the world of defense, and many smaller contractors, northeast Indiana is an ideal location for the growth of existing companies and success of new facilities in the defense community.

Future Growth in Defense for northeast IndianaLilly Endowment Inc. will provide $20 million to an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne to accelerate the development of northeast Indiana's workforce and talent resources. The program, entitled Talent Opportunity Success (TOpS) 2015, will develop education, training and talent initiatives in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  TOpS 2015 -- an unprecedented collaboration in northeast Indiana -- will better prepare the region's workforce to capture the high- quality job opportunities available in the near term and those of the future.

Components of TOpS 2015 include support for the following critical initiatives:

. Retraining at least 1,200 adult workers in northeast Indiana over the next three years
. Enhancement of the Advanced Manufacturing program at Ivy Tech - Northeast
. Expansion of the systems engineering and wireless technology programs at Indiana University-Purdue University- Fort Wayne (IPFW)
. Creation of New Tech High Schools within school corporations in northeast Indiana, with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses


TOpS 2015 includes significant and targeted educational and workforce programs for the aerospace and defense industries.  One immediate goal of TOpS 2015 is to prepare workers to assume more than 4,000 projected new and replacement jobs in these industries.  The programs also will be relevant to the workforce development needs of other advanced manufacturing sectors in northeast Indiana.  Northeast Indiana is home to over 160 defense/aerospace prime contractors and suppliers.  During 2005 and 2006 the six largest firms in this sector received a total of $2 billion in prime contracts from the Department of Defense.
 

Press Release

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TOpS 2015 Fact Sheet           

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TOpS 2015 Goal Tree

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For more information on how your company can be successful in Northeast Indiana, contact NEIRP.