Tuskegee trying to become Air Force trainer manufacture site
March 31, 2017
By The Associated Press
Mar. 30, 2017 – The home of the Tuskegee Airmen, who shattered aviation and racial barriers in World War II, is competing to become the manufacturing site of a new Air Force training jet.
Gov. Robert Bentley and Macon County officials announced Wednesday that the state and the community had put together a $100 million incentive package to try to help Italian-based Leonardo DRS land the contract to build the new trainer.
At least four companies are competing for the contract that’s expected to be awarded later this year. If successful, the aircraft manufacturer would build a new factory at Moton Field, where the Tuskegee Airmen trained. The facility would bring 750 jobs to the area.
The Tuskegee Airmen is the name given to an African-American squadron that flew in World War II.
