Selex Galileo, a defense electronics company, will more than double its space at Stennis International Airport in Hancock County, going from 34,000 to 86,000 square feet in the first phase of a four- to five-year, $11 million to $13 million expansion.
The Arlington, Va.-based company presently employs 18 people. Selex CEO Giles Kyser tells The Sun Herald that the company will hire more workers although he didn't say how many.
Selex Galileo is one of several tenants at Stennis International Airport, which is owned and operated by the Hancock County Development Commission.
Selex Galileo's facility at provides aircraft modification and integration services, said company spokeswoman Clio Timmerman.
"We integrate avionics solutions into existing airframes to enhance their capability," Timmerman said.
"It is like adding an extra system in a car to improve capability. You may buy the base model and a few years later decide to customize the model in order to achieve better performance.
"This could include an upgraded engine, for instance. For this, you would take your car to a company that could do the integration work for you to ensure the new system works within the current structure of the car.
"That is the essence of aircraft integration and modification — to ensure that whatever new or enhanced capability that goes into the aircraft fits within the current structure.
"Sometimes, we also provide the actual product that is being integrated," she said.
Kyser said Selex Galileo recently delivered its 16th C-130 aircraft to the U.S. Coast Guard and is modifying other aircraft for the Coast Guard.
The company has plans to add training facilities at Stennis in the future, Kyser said.
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Online:
Selex Galileo, http://www.selexgalileo.com
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Information from: The Sun Herald, http://www.sunherald.com
