Tenth Expansion At Lee County General Atomics Facility Underway

LEE COUNTY, MISS. (WCBI) – One of the largest defense contractors in the nation announces a multi million dollar investment that’ll have a big impact on Northeast Mississippi.

For the tenth time in 13 years, General Atomics is expanding at its Lee County facility.

This $20,000,000 investment will include a 128,000 square foot building and will add up to 60 jobs.

“It means a greater way of life for people living around here, bringing good jobs to us, means greater security to our country,” said Lee County Board of Supervisors President Mike Smith.

Workers at the plant help design and build launch systems for US Navy aircraft carriers. It will also produce laser systems with a variety of uses.

“We’re doing a lot of fabricating, and fabricating is a fancy word for welding, the amount of welding we’re doing now is incredible.  In 2013 we welded nothing, now we are doing  net shape, plasma cutting and welding for commercial products in 69 countries and defense products,” said Scott Forney, with General Atomics.

The General Atomics expansion is a team effort.  The Mississippi Development Authority is helping with equipment costs, while Lee County is providing property tax exemptions.

“And the Community Development Foundation, Lee County Board of Supervisors, working with municipal officials in Shannon, Lee County, all pull together as one team, TVA, Tombigbee Electric Power Association, but at the end of the day, men and women around the world who protect and defend freedom depend on innovative defense systems and the most complex defense systems in the world are manufactured in Shannon Mississippi,” said Glenn McCullough, executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority.

It should take about a year to complete this latest expansion.

Components for military drones are also built at the Lee County facility.