BAMS contract boosts Northrop Grumman

CENTURY CITY, Calif., May 10 (UPI) -- Northrop Grumman Corp.'s military contract to build a new robotic plane could be a boon for the company and Southern California, experts say.

The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday that Northrop Grumman, based in Century City, Calif., won a contract potentially worth nearly $4 billion to build the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aerial System.

The contract to build as many as 68 BAMS -- unmanned surveillance planes -- is expected to generate thousands of new jobs in Southern California and help slow the regional housing downturn, the newspaper said.

"The news is surprisingly optimistic, and if you put everything together this looks fairly encouraging," said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

Northrop also designs spy satellites in Redondo Beach, Calif., and robotic planes in Rancho Bernardo, Calif.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International