Spotlight: Work Begins Today on Navy Super Hornets

Partial assembly of new Navy Super Hornets--the last fighter aircraft production line in the state--begins today. Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman Corp. will begin producing “shipsets” of the F/A-18E/F, an advanced version of the F/A-18 strike fighter. The program provides about 2,400 Northrop Grumman jobs and, based on Navy production schedules, is likely to sustain about 600 more jobs annually through 2010. The shipsets are sent elsewhere for completion.