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Washington -- The $631 billion annual defense authorization bill passed Tuesday night by the U.S. Senate eliminates funding for a missile defense project that has supported hundreds of jobs in Central New York.
The Senate voted 98-0 to approve the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2013, which began Oct. 1.
But the final legislation did not include $400.8 million requested by President Barack Obama and the Pentagon for the final year of development work on the Medium Extended Air Defense System, or MEADS.
Lockheed Martin Corp. has been developing the mobile missile defense program for more than a decade with partners Germany and Italy, which also wanted to finish development.
Lockheed’s plant at Electronics Park in Salina designed the MEADS surveillance radar, a $625 million project that is the single largest radar contract in the history of the Central New York plant.
The project has supported up to 235 jobs at Electronics Park. All told, Lockheed Martin employs about 1,900 workers in Salina, making it one of the region’s largest employers.
Lockheed officials had no immediate reaction Tuesday night.
The defense authorization bill now moves to a conference committee that will reconcile differences with a House version that passed earlier this year. The House also voted to eliminate MEADS funding, despite requests from the Pentagon to finish developing its technology.
The Pentagon has said it will not deploy the missile defense system, but could still "harvest" its technology for future use. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, pointing to a successful intercept test last week, sent a letter Friday to House and Senate leaders asking them to provide the final year of MEADS funding.
It’s still possible that MEADS funding could be restored by House and Senate negotiators in the conference committee.
syracuse.com
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03-12-2012, 23:01
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