NORTHWEST WASHINGTON: Murray Announces $6 Million in Job-Creating Defense Contracts for Northwest Washington in the FY08 Defense Appropriations Bill

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) today announced that she has included $50 million in federal defense work for Washington state companies in the Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Appropriations bill.  Murray, who serves on the Senate Defense Appropriations Sub-Committee, helped pass the bill out of the full Senate Appropriations Committee today.  The bill will next move to the Senate floor.

"This funding will allow Washington state companies to provide our men and women in the military with the best equipment available," Murray stated.  "We need to do everything we can to help bring our soldiers home safely, and investing in these technologies is a critical step forward.  Washington state companies are at the forefront of research and development and they will continue to provide our military with the state of the art equipment they need."

Projects Funded in Northwest Washington  

Real-Time Weight and Balance Measurement System for C-130s

Crane Aerospace, Lynnwood

$4 million

The Real-Time Weight and Balance Measurement System will improve aircraft safety and dispatch speed by accurately measuring crucial aircraft weight and center of gravity information for takeoff and landing.  Currently, weight and center of gravity are estimated based on average troop passenger weight and other survey data.  This funding provides C-130 cargo aircraft with an onboard weights and balance system that provides more accurate information to pilots by temporarily converting the aircraft landing gear into weighing scales. 

Lynwood, WA-based Crane Aerospace will supply 13 sets of its AirWeighs measurement system to the Navy.  Crane Aerospace is hiring 14 engineers and technicians for its AirWeighs system, which it also sells to Boeing. 

Expeditionary Swimmer Defense System

Sound and Sea Technologies, Edmonds

$2 million

Protecting Navy ships is the Navy’s highest Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection priority.  This program will develop a system for protecting critical infrastructure and military assets from surprise maritime attacks by detecting and defending against surface and underwater threats.  The system seeks to incorporate electro-optical cables and physical barriers to provide Navy ships robust protection from maritime terrorist attacks in a manner compatible with environmental considerations for fisheries and marine mammals. This funding will help complete a final design and prototype testing.