Defense Cuts Force 140 Layoffs at TRW’s San Diego Division

Beginning early next year, 140 employees at TRW’s San Diego-based Military Electronics & Avionics Division will be laid off because of a drop in defense electronics contracts, according to a company spokesman.

Almost 15% of the 950 employees at the division’s Carmel Mountain facility and 10% of the unit’s total staff of 1,400 will be affected by the layoff, TRW spokesman Tim Dolan said.

He said about 60 local employees received notice of the planned layoff Friday, and the rest will receive official notice between Jan. 1 and April 30. No layoffs are planned at any of the division’s other offices, he said.

Dolan attributed the layoffs “to the cyclical nature of the procurement process rather than the defense cutbacks that everyone is focusing on.”

“We have a number of critical programs in the demonstration and validation phase, and those are winding down in 1989. In 1990, we plan to compete vigorously for those full-scale development contracts.

“Unfortunately, we have to cycle down pending the award of full-scale production contracts, he said.”