Southland Defense Industry Quietly Heeds War’s Drumbeat
Southern California’s defense industry--the nerve center for advanced weapons and surveillance technology for the U.S. military--is quietly gearing up for a potential attack against Iraq.
At Pentagon contractors throughout the region, engineers have been ordered to put vacations on hold. Some have been told to plan for longer spells at the office. And companies that make sophisticated intelligence-gathering equipment have been directed by the government to field new technologies ahead of schedule.
TRW Inc. engineers in Carson, for instance, were told last week to immediately begin supplying a new battlefield computer system to troops in the Persian Gulf region, although the equipment is still in the testing phase. The computers, similar to civilian laptop devices, are designed to give Army units down to squad level instant access to battlefield information, including the positions of enemy targets and the locations of other U.S. troops.
Citing the need for discretion, industry executives are declining to comment publicly on the surge of activity. But based on interviews with engineers who requested anonymity, the busiest companies appear to be those that specialize in technologies for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance work, as well as those working to improve the accuracy of missiles and bombs.
“We can’t talk much about what we are doing, but the activity here has definitely stepped up,” a TRW executive said.
A Southland aerospace engineer, who spoke on condition that he not be identified, said: “It sounds like we’re going to get pretty busy.” The engineer, who had to work through several seven-day weeks providing technical support for U.S. troops during the initial military operations in Afghanistan last fall, said he was told to expect a similar schedule starting next month.
Nearly a quarter of the Pentagon’s research and development funds are funneled to companies in California, by far the largest of any state. The bulk of those companies are located in Southern California and employ a total of about 50,000 people.
Or at least that’s the official estimate.
In fact, many Southern California companies are engaged in so-called black programs, highly classified military projects whose budgets are secret. Because of the hidden nature of these programs, the precise number of engineers and companies involved in military preparations in the Los Angeles region is not known--or, for that matter, even visible. Much of the work here involves classified engineering research conducted in nondescript, often-windowless buildings deep within office complexes.
One of the biggest players in the local aerospace community is Century City-based Northrop Grumman Corp. The company’s Integrated Systems Group in El Segundo, which developed the B-2 stealth bomber, is designing the latest unmanned aircraft and airborne surveillance equipment.
Other notable defense companies in the area include:
* TRW Inc. in Redondo Beach and Carson, which builds mili- tary communication satellites and battlefield command-and-control systems.
* Boeing Co. in Seal Beach and Anaheim, which designs and develops next-generation spy satellites and military communication systems.
* Raytheon Corp. in El Segundo, which is developing radar-jamming equipment, sensors for spy planes, and targeting and guidance systems for missiles.
* Lockheed Martin Corp. in Palmdale, which conducts classified aircraft design and development programs at its famed Skunk Works. Lockheed Martin also engineers upgraded equipment for F-117 stealth fighters and U-2 spy planes.
* Aerospace Corp. in El Segundo, a government-funded research center, which assists and supervises development of advanced spy satellites and other classified intelligence programs.
Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine reported last week that six such satellites have been maintaining a close watch on Iraq. Three of the satellites are equipped with optical and infrared sensors that can see through darkness and foul weather for evidence of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons development, the report said.
At Raytheon, engineers who work on precision-guided weapons and other classified programs were told--without explanation--to postpone vacations between October and the end of the year.
A Raytheon spokesman declined to comment but acknowledged that the company had received Pentagon orders to accelerate production of certain products including “Little Buddy” electronic decoys. Raytheon engineers in Goleta, near Santa Barbara, designed the decoys, which are towed behind fighters and bombers. The Little Buddy is designed to electronically fool an antiaircraft missile into hitting it instead of the aircraft.
The anticipation of hostilities with Iraq has sent defense industry stocks surging in recent months, with investors figuring that a conflict would boost weapons orders and fuel additional research funding.
Shares of many Pentagon contractors, especially those focused on developing high-tech weapons, already were trading at record levels in the aftermath of military action in Afghanistan last fall. Northrop’s shares have jumped 55% since the terrorist attacks last year, and Raytheon is up 30% and TRW 75%, while the market as a whole has declined.
Although much of the high-tech research activity has centered on Southern California, weapons makers in other states also have been bustling with activity in recent months.
In Tucson, where Raytheon manufactures weapons, production of Paveway air-to-surface and Tomahawk cruise missiles has tripled in recent months. The Paveway, a laser-guided missile, could have significant use in Iraq, defense analysts said, because it can carry a new bunker-busting warhead that is designed to kill troops hidden deep inside hardened underground chambers.
Raytheon executives confirmed that they also have been asked to upgrade Tomahawk cruise missiles so they can be guided by signals from Global Positioning System satellites, making them effective in any weather.
The Pentagon also has asked Boeing to double the production rate of kits that turn so-called dumb bombs into much more accurate guided bombs. The JDAM kits--for joint direct attack munition--are attached to gravity bombs and, using signals from GPS satellites, can guide the weapons to their targets with extreme accuracy.
The supply of kits is being replenished after a larger-than- expected number were used in Afghanistan. About 9,000 of the 24,000 bombs dropped there were equipped with JDAM kits. The remainder were either laser-guided or free-fall bombs.
Boeing has been asked to boost production of JDAM kits from about 700 a month to 1,500.
“I get the general impression that things are going to start moving rather quickly after the November elections and everybody wants to have their ducks lined up if the president decided to move sooner than later,” said John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, a defense research firm. “Things might happen rather quickly after the election, and anybody that says nothing will happen until February will be surprised.”
