BAE Systems Celebrate Inauguration of Elgin Site

ELGIN, Oklahoma — BAE Systems held a special inaugural ceremony in Elgin, Oklahoma to initiate work on BAE Systems – Elgin Operations, a 150,000 square-foot facility. The BAE Systems – Elgin Operations facility will be built by the city of Elgin in the Ft. Sill Industrial Park, and is scheduled to open in early 2009. Work at the new facility will initially focus on production integration and assembly of the Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) Cannon for the U.S. Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) program.

“I applaud BAE Systems for remaining committed to Elgin,” said Senator Jim Inhofe (R OK). “The work that takes place in this new facility will ensure our Soldiers have battlefield capabilities second to none and it will provide new job opportunities for the people of Elgin and the greater Comanche County region.”

During the ceremony, BAE Systems was welcomed to southwest Oklahoma by Sen. Inhofe, Congressman Tom Cole (R OK-4) and Elgin Mayor Larry Thoma. “BAE Systems’ arrival in Elgin is a great day for the people of southwest Oklahoma, the Army and the American Soldier,” said Mayor Thoma. The dignitaries also helped company leaders unveil the artist’s concept of the BAE Systems – Elgin Operations facility.

Also speaking at the ceremony were Maj. Gen. Charles Cartwright, Army FCS program manager, and Dennis Muilenburg, program manager from the FCS Lead System Integrator. Walt Havenstein, president and chief executive officer of BAE Systems, Inc. spoke on behalf of BAE Systems.

“We are excited to begin work in Elgin and provide new jobs and economic growth opportunities for the people of southwest Oklahoma,” said Havenstein. “Bringing the NLOS Cannon integration to Elgin is the first step toward building BAE Systems’ presence in Elgin for the long-term, and being next to Ft. Sill will enable us to work closely with the Army to explore more opportunities to support our Warfighters. We’re proud to call Elgin our home.”

Today’s ceremony also marked the commencement of BAE Systems’ efforts to establish a core Elgin Integration Team (EIT) that will begin work out of an initial facility in Elgin in 2008. The EIT will help coordinate the new facility’s completion as well as begin the transition of NLOS Cannon related work from Minneapolis to Elgin.

“BAE Systems has again demonstrated its commitment to southwest Oklahoma,” said Rep. Cole. “This is a great day for the people of Elgin and Comanche County and a great day for the Soldiers who will soon benefit from the activities conducted at this new facility.”

The establishment of BAE Systems – Elgin Operations builds on nearly a decade of BAE Systems investments made to the Elgin community. Each year, BAE Systems awards an Elgin High School senior a $4,000 tuition scholarship. Since 2000, BAE Systems has provided $20,000 in college tuition scholarships to eight students from the Elgin community.

“We are excited to partner with BAE Systems to create the Elgin Operations facility, and to support the timely development of the NLOS Cannon for the Army,” said Larry Thoma, Mayor of Elgin. “BAE Systems – Elgin Operations will play an important role in the long-term growth and economic viability of Elgin and we are glad to do our part to get this facility up and running as soon as possible.”