Fluor Wins $197.6-Million Pact on ‘Star Wars’ Project

Fluor Corp. said Monday that it has been awarded a $197.6-million, “Star Wars”-related contract by the Army for construction of a facility at the White Sands missile range that will be used to explore the feasibility of projecting laser beams into space.

The contract, awarded to the Fluor Constructors Inc. subsidiary, is the Irvine-based engineering, construction and mining concern’s single largest contract so far this year, said Rick Maslin, a Fluor spokesman.

Work at the New Mexico site will begin this month and is scheduled for completion in late 1990. Depending on the outcome of the current contract, Fluor may receive additional work under a two-year extension worth an estimated $450 million, Maslin said.

In a prepared statement, David S. Tappan, Fluor’s chairman, said the contract was the “result of a company-wide effort to obtain a role” for Fluor in the proposed Strategic Defense Initiative.

Frequently dubbed “Star Wars,” the controversial program proposes the use of earth-based laser beams to destroy incoming missiles aimed at the United States.

“We are ecstatic, to say the least,” remarked Maslin, adding that the contract is the biggest Fluor has ever received from the Department of Defense. He added that the company currently is bidding on other defense-related projects.

The project will involve about 2,000 employees, the bulk of which will be hired in the White Sands area, Maslin said.