Tulsa's Spirit AeroSystems Wins Big Contract

A Tulsa aerospace company is flying high after winning a billion dollar bid.  Spirit AeroSystems gets to play a major role in manufacturing a state-of-the-art airplane.  The Tulsa factory will design and build the wing for a brand new business jet.

News On 6 anchor Latoya Silmon reports Spirit says it's new gig is big business that shows the company can compete globally, a feat that will benefit Spirit and the local economy.

"It's a very big deal," said Joe Jarrett, Spirit AeroSystems.

The company will design and build the Gulfstream's jet's wing on its Tulsa campus and the 2000 people who currently work here will need help.

Spirit says it's already hired 200 engineers because of the eight figure deal and more jobs are likely on the way.  Not to mention what a contract like this could do in the future.

"It's a demonstration of Spirit's success in terms of being able to compete on a global scale. It's also evidence of something Spirit has been trying to do, which is diversify our customer base," said Jarrett.  

Spirit says it's more than 45 years of experience that helped land the job and it will rely on that same history to propel the company into the future, one that will gain notoriety for helping Gulfstream Aerospace build its fastest jet yet.

Spirit says it's designing the wing now.  It hopes to begin production later in the year.

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