| Aquifer not affected by area industries L. LAMOR WILLIAMS Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Published in Camden News 8/30/2010 The Sparta aquifer, the drinking water source for much of eastern and southern Arkansas, has not been adversely affected by industry in the Camden area, a Department of Environmental Quality groundwater study found.
The state environmental oversight agency has scheduled a public meeting for Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Locust Bayou to discuss the results of the study. The meeting will be held at the Locust Bayou Fire Station on Arkansas 278 in Calhoun County, about 11 miles east of Camden.
Ryan Benefield, deputy director of the agency, said the reason for the department’s focus on the Locust Bayou area was to study any impact that the former Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot might have had on the aquifer.
"Over two years ago, we began the study to see whether or not past or current activities at the Highland Industrial Park at Camden has caused any problems with the groundwater," Benefield said. The 17,000-acre industrial park of commercial and Defense Department contractors that made and tested weapons and ammunition covers about a third of the defunct 68,000-acre Shumaker Depot which stretched between Calhoun and Ouachita counties The site was operated by the Navy from 1944 to 1957, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers records. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state Department of Environmental Quality investigated the site in 2001 when concerns were raised about the levels of perchlorate, an agent in rocket fuel.
Benefield said a clay layer covers much of the aquifer and that while no problems were detected there could be problems in the future if there was a hazardous materials catastrophe in the area. |
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GD gets contract for Army rockets Camden News August 9, 2010 CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The U.S Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, Ala., has awarded General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products a contract for the production of the 2.75-inch Hydra-70 rocket system. The award is valued at approximately $278 million.
Load, assemble and pack operations will be conducted by the existing workforce at the company’s Camden facility. System engineering and program management will be performed at General Dynamics’ Burlington Technology Center in Vermont.
The contract includes three additional one-year range options which if exercised by the U.S. Army, would continue production for the fiscal years 2011-2013. The estimated potential value of the contract is just under $1 billion if all options are exercised, according to a news release from the company.
The Hydra-70 rocket system consists of a family of 2.75-inch rockets with a variety of unitary, cargo, illumination and obscurant warheads for multiple mission applications The rocket can be fired from the U.S. Army’s Apache and Kiowa Warrior helicopters and other rotary and fixed-wing aircraft.
"The Hydra-70 rocket is a versatile and proven-effective weapon system that remains relevant to the U.S. warfighter," said Russ Klein, vice president and general manager of weapon systems for General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products.
"Our Hydra-70 team is currently producing more than 2,000 rocket motors a day in support of our customer’s needs," Klein continued.
General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, located in Charlotte, N.C., provides a broad range of system solutions for military and commercial applications. The company designs, develops and produces high-performance weapon and armament systems, defensive armor, countermeasure systems and aerospace composite solutions, as well as off-road axle and suspension systems. It is also a leading U.S. producer of biological and chemical detection systems. More information about General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products can be found on the Internet at www.gdatp.com.
General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 91,000 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about General Dynamics is available online at www.generaldynamics.com. |
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Aerojet earns National Safety Council award
Camden News August 9, 2010 Aerojet’s Camden facility has achieved one million man hours without a "Day Away From Work Injury or Illness" between July 7, 2009 and June 14, 2010.
The achievement earned the defense industry company the National Safety Council’s "Million Work- Hours Award." The award was presented at a celebration luncheon held at the Camden Country Club.
"With a commitment to create and maintain a safe work environment, Aerojet employees now will undertake the challenge of achieving two million work hours without a lost work-day injury," said Alice Floyd, Aerojet’s Camden safety manager.
In attendance at the luncheon were James Salkeld, Arkansas’s director of labor for the Arkansas Department of Labor, who presented Aerojet with a plaque, and Alan McClain, chief executive officer of the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission.
Aerojet executives attending the event included Aerojet’s vice president of Sustainable Operations, Rob Shenton, and Aerojet’s vice president of Environmental Health and Safety, Chris Conley, who also presented an Aerojet President Safety Award to the Camden employees.
"This is an accomplishment that all of us should take pride in," said Paul Rich, Aerojet’s executive director of the Camden facility.
"This achievement was made possible due to the team’s support of and awareness to safety. Safety begins each and every day — at home and at work — and all of us must be vigilant in making it our number one priority," Rich said. U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas released the following statement about Aerojet’s achievement: "I commend each and every employee at Camden Aerojet for this accomplishment, which speaks volumes about their dedication and professionalism. Safety should always be a top priority, and I am proud of these employees for their steadfast efforts to maintain a safe, secure workplace.
"I also commend Alice Floyd, safety manager at the facility, for her dedicated efforts to maintain safety, and Paul Rich, executive director, for his leadership and commitment to safety.
"Camden’s Aerojet facility helps provide jobs and economic security for countless Camden-area residents. I am proud of the entire Aerojet team for this significant achievement of winning the "Million Work-Hours Award."
Aerojet serves the missile and space propulsion, defense and armaments markets. |
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Lockheed dedicates new production site |
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Lockheed dedicates new production site Camden News 5-27-2010 Local and area officials and invited guests joined Gov. Mike Beebe along with Lockheed Martin officials Wednesday for the dedication of new production site for the Patriot Advance Capability 3 Missile - better known as PAC-3, at the defense contractor’s Highland Industrial Park site.
"The dedication of the new building marks our continued investment in the state of Arkansas and Lockheed Martin’s commitment to developing and manufacturing the PAC-3 Missile here in Camden," Glenn David Woods, site director of Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control’s Camden Operations, said in a news release.
"Our Camden employees are proud to play a pivotal role in producing the world’s most advanced terminal air defense missile that serves our warfighters in their defining moments." The company anticipates that the new facility will allow for continued production expansion and modest employment growth over the next several years.
The new 72,000 square-foot PAC-3 building is located on Camden Operations’ campus adjacent to the existing 52,000-square-foot PAC-3 facility.
"This expansion reaffirms our strong commitment to the U.S. Army and the Camden community," said Richard McDaniel, director of the PAC-3 programs for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "Through this expansion, we will be able to maintain the high level of quality and performance that our customers demand and accommodate future program growth."
"We are extremely pleased to continue to grow our service to the U.S. Army and the Camden community," said Richard McDaniel, director of the PAC-3 Programs for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "The expansion of the PAC-3 Missile production complex strengthens our commitment and ability to meet the customer’s expanding needs, and better positions us to support anticipated growth in the near future."
In April the company marked its production of the 10,000th rocket for the Guided Multi Launch Rocket System.
The local facility produces the Multiple Launch Rocket System launcher and a family of munitions, which includes the Guided MLRS Unitary Rocket, and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launcher, which fires MLRS rockets and Army Tactical Missile System missiles.
Camden is the home of the PAC-3 Missile, which has been in production since late 2001. |
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Students join leaders in event marking 10,000th Lockheed rocket By DONNA COLLINS Staff Writer Camden News April 28, 2010 Community leaders and local math and science students joined hundreds of Lockheed Martin workers and officials attending Tuesday’s celebration marking the production of the 10,000th rocket for the Guided Multi Launch Rocket System at the company’s Highland Industrial Park location.
Site director Glenn David Woods welcomed the crowd and introduced guestspeakers who all praised Lockheed’s local workforce for the dedication and hard work needed "to deliver on time, every time" the product U.S. military forces and their allies have come to expect and depend on. "This production mile stone was made possible through the commitment of our hardworking employees here in Camden who are proud to provide this combat proven capability to the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps, and our allied forces," said Scott Arnold, vice president for Precision Fires at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "The delivery of the 10,000th GMLRS marks a significant milestone in the program," Col. David J. Rice, U.S. Army program manager for Precision Fires, Rocket and Missile Systems, told the large crowd that included local Lockheed GMLRS team members. "This is a superior system that provides responsive precision fires enabled by unsurpassed system reliability and maintainability." Rice, who attended high school in Arkadelphia, said his journey to Camden was worth the effort, even though it included being "impeded by an Arkansas state trooper, twice."
Rice told local elected officials and other community leaders that it is their vision and leadership that gains the attention of national leaders needed to sustain and support programs including Lockheed’s GMLRS.
"Thank you, thank you and thank you again," he said to the local workforce "You make a difference." Rice said the GMLRS "does its job," of finding and destroying high value and high risk targets with the least amount of collateral damage to the cultural centers the enemy is known to purposely hide.
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