SELEX Galileo continues investing in Hancock County
May 31, 2014
SELEX Galileo Inc. is headquartered in Arlington, Va., and has six facilities across the United States, all with unique capabilities. In Hancock County, Avionic Systems Integration employees install state-of-the-art technology that brings new life into aircraft platforms. "We upgrade and modify commercial and Department of Defense aircraft to meet the new mission requirements of our customers," said Darryl Davis, the general manager of the Hancock County facility's operation. "The Defense Department is our primary focus." The company has been operating at Stennis since 2006. The initial work involved installing the SELEX Seaspray radar into the U.S. Coast Guard HC130H fleet. This radar has gone on to support a number of key USCG search and rescue and drug interdiction missions. Then, as part of the USCG avionics upgrade, the SELEX Galileo team replaced the outdated cockpit with a modern glass system in both the prototype and verification aircraft.
Most recently, the hangars became host to C130 aircraft from the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force which are undergoing an electronic propeller control system upgrade. Every aircraft and unit that leaves the Stennis facility takes off with a new capability that allows it to perform better on missions around the world. SELEX Galileo has been expanding its presence at Stennis International Airport practically since it started operations there and now counts 88,000 square feet of hangar space, doubling its original 34,000 square feet. This means that they can accommodate up to three C130s and multiple small fixed or rotary wing aircraft at the same time. "The business saw a great opportunity in the location and infrastructure unique to Stennis, and decided to make an investment to grow the business here," Davis said. SELEX has a staff of 48 employees working on installing equipment. "We have everything from administrative assistants to logistics support, engineering support and aviation technicians," he said, "and we look forward to increasing those numbers as our workload expands" Davis, a New Iberia, La., native and retired Marine, lives in Diamondhead. "Two great things have come out of the SELEX investment in the county," he said. "One is that we employ a large portion of our employees from Hancock County; and two is that the remaining staff has moved to Hancock County from other locales, which has resulted in really great positive economic impact for the local community."