Kelly Applauds Legislature’s Passage of Bill to Solidify Sikorsky’s Commitment to Connecticut

HARTFORD – Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly (R-Stratford) released the following statement applauding the Connecticut General Assembly’s approval of an agreement between the State of Connecticut with Lockheed Martin to sustain as many as 7,500 jobs and keep Sikorsky’s headquarters in Connecticut through 2042 if Sikorsky wins the contract for the nation’s Black Hawk replacement program:

“The labor force which makes up the Sikorsky family keeps us free abroad and saves lives. Today the legislature took an important step to help secure those jobs and guarantee economic investment in our state and in our families. The best and safest helicopters in the world are made by Sikorsky and by the world’s most talented workforce. The President flies Sikorsky in the U.S. presidential Marine One fleet because it is the world’s best helicopter. And that’s not by chance. That’s a result of Connecticut workers from Stratford, Shelton, Seymour, Monroe and the entire greater Bridgeport area, as well as the suppliers across our state in over 71 Connecticut towns that support Sikorsky. What is best for every Commander in Chief is best for all our troops and civilians served by those helicopters. This is an important step to sustain thousands of direct and indirect jobs at Sikorsky and at the many suppliers locally and across Connecticut that work collectively to make our state home to the greatest in helicopter and defense innovation.”