Reports that the Indian air force will order six Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in addition to 10 it already requested could extend the Long Beach-based production of the large transport airplane by at least a year.
That’s the word at Boeing Co., where fears have been rampant that production of the transport – the only remaining aircraft of significant size being built in California – would be shut down.
“If India is interested in 16 aircraft that’s terrific news,” said Jerry Drelling, a Boeing spokesman. “We are excited and very optimistic that a letter of agreement will be signed by the end of the year.”
The company had earlier said that unless new orders come in, production of the aircraft would cease by September 2012. But if the Indian orders materialize, Drelling said, the assembly lines will stay open until at least September 2013.
Speculation regarding potential orders from the Indian military began in January when it formally requested 10 of the Boeing airplanes from the U.S. government. Then, earlier this month, the Indian air force announced that it would buy six more.
“To say this is an opening for new opportunities for cooperation between the U.S. and India is an understatement,” said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, shortly after returning from a trip to India where he met with government and military officials to discuss the Boeing airplane.
India, he said, “needs the C-17 and so does the United States.”
A campaign to end U.S. purchases of the aircraft – 199 of which are in service for the government – is being spearheaded by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. He has encouraged President Obama to veto any congressional measures that include funding for the C-17, which cost roughly $200 million a plane depending on the size of the order.
Boeing, for its part, has already announced a gradual production slowdown that eventually will likely cost jobs. Currently, about 30,000 workers nationwide – including 4,000 in Long Beach – are involved in making the high-wing, four-engine aircraft used to fulfill military and humanitarian airlift needs.
Any new orders for the C-17, Drelling said, will not affect about 800 jobs the aerospace giant recently announced it will move out of Long Beach in 2011 as part of the relocation of its C-130 Avionics Modernization Program and B-1 program to Oklahoma City.
Electric Watts
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn wants to bring electric car manufacturing to Watts. To that end, she recently met with officials from Porteon Electric Vehicles Inc., a startup electric car manufacturer based in Portland, Ore., that is considering bringing at least some operations to Los Angeles.
The company would operate out of the Lanzit Industrial Site, a 9-acre vacant field on 111th Street in Watts. The parcel is owned by the city, which bought it for $2.3 million from the California Department of Transportation in 1994.
“This is exactly the type of company we want in Watts. I am committed to working with Porteon to make this happen,” said Hahn, noting the operations would create at least 340 jobs.
Porteon describes itself on its website as a maker of electric vehicles “designed and engineered to be easily and efficiently adapted to multiple configurations, from sporty passenger models, to commercial-grade utility vehicles with superior cargo carrying capabilities.”
The company did not return calls for comment.
Healthy Water
A little-known manufacturer of proprietary high-performance sports water is positioning itself for a major push into the mass market of health-conscious consumers.
AquaHydrate Inc. – which has its corporate headquarters in Huntington Beach but manufacturers and distributes its bottled water in Commerce – is taking on a new high-profile chief executive from New York, two new board members and a potentially large influx of cash.
“We have several strategic dialogues going on involving major investments in the double-digit millions,” said Matthew Howison, a new board member whose Sydney, Australia-based private equity firm, Emerald Partners, has invested more than $2 million in the water concern. “The discussions are strategic in the sense that they include distribution deals allowing us to accelerate a national rollout in the U.S. and begin looking at selective markets overseas.”
Also joining the company is Steven Fisher, a well-known New York developer who is moving to Los Angeles to become chief executive. In addition, Mark Loeffler, the company’s current chief financial officer, will be joining the board, which already includes co-founder and movie star Mark Wahlberg.
Company officials claim that AquaHydrate water – produced through a multistep process that raises its alkaline levels, electrolytes and mineral content – improves mental focus and performance in athletes.
It is available at about 2,800 stores, primarily in Southern California, New York and Florida, including 7-Eleven, Albertson’s and Whole Foods.
Staff Reporter David Haldane can be reached at [email protected] or at 323-549-5225, ext. 225.
