Source: United States Navy
Groundwork on the 75-acre site began in April to prepare the area for new construction. When complete, the multi-structure, purpose-built facility will provide more than 700,000 square feet of space planned to support FRCE’s work on the Navy and Marine Corps C/KC-130J Super Hercules and C/KC-130T Hercules and Air Force HH-60W Jolly Green II.
FRCE Commanding Officer Capt. James M. Belmont said the groundbreaking represents years of preparation and determination by dozens of stakeholders within the Navy, the Global TransPark and the state of North Carolina.
“It’s so gratifying to see years of planning and effort come to fruition at this moment,” he said. “Bringing this new workload into FRC East will allow our team to continue supporting the nation’s warfighters well into the future by doing what we do best: providing our military aviators with the best quality products, delivered on time and at the best cost.
“Through this service to the Fleet, we’ll be able to directly impact mission readiness and results, and we’re proud to shoulder this responsibility,” Belmont continued. “But we wouldn’t be standing here today without the hard work of key players across the Navy and our partnership with the state of North Carolina, and it’s important that we recognize that.”
The initiative, an innovative partnership between the state of North Carolina and FRCE, is the first of its kind within the Department of Defense. Leaders anticipate it will offer economic growth opportunities in the Eastern North Carolina area and save millions of taxpayer dollars that fund military aircraft maintenance. Belmont noted that the partnership with the state wouldn’t have been possible without support from stakeholders in Navy organizations including FRCE, Naval Facilities Command and the offices of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and the Environment and the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition.
Stephen Barrow, head of FRCE’s Centralized Coordination Department, played an instrumental role in securing the partnership between the depot and the state. He said the additional workload is planned to provide FRCE
with up to 616,000 additional labor hours per year, which translates into a considerable economic impact in the region.
“It’s a big win for the local economy,” he explained. “High-paying technical jobs aren’t easy to come by in Eastern North Carolina, and FRCE will be looking to fill positions to support these additional labor hours. In addition to the payroll impact, this initiative will bring in additional revenue from a tax perspective, which could entice retailers and other commercial entities to move to the area, as well. All of these factors can help the community grow.”
Barrow said the initiative is already making a positive impact within the Naval Aviation Enterprise.
“Bringing the C-130 workload back into the Naval enterprise will provide more visibility, control, a higher level of service and ultimately an increase of readiness,” he said. “Additionally, the move will save significant amounts of funding, thus increasing the ‘buying power’ of the fleet. With these projected savings, the Naval enterprise will be saving millions per aircraft, tens of millions per year and hundreds of millions over a five-year period.”
Matthew McCann, head of the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Logistics Department at FRCE, said housing the additional workload at the Global TransPark will benefit the community well into the future.
“Current projections have the aircrafts’ service lives stretching until 2064,” he said. “That means we’re looking at about four decades of workload coming through, which will allow FRCE to provide long-term economic impact in the area and continue serving the warfighter for generations to come.”
While the facility represents the largest partnership to date between FRCE and the Global TransPark, the depot already has a footprint on the campus. FRCE leases buildings from the Global TransPark to house its UH-1N helicopter production line, where it services the aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. The relationship that developed between the command and the Global TransPark during this process helped pave the way for the new initiative.
The project is part of a $350 million state investment in the Global TransPark, one of the largest single items in the state’s current budget. The TransPark is a multi-modal industrial and business park that holds an array of aviation industry and manufacturing entities, in addition to the depot’s UH-1N line and the future aviation maintenance facility.
“I can’t stress enough how critical the state of North Carolina’s support and cooperation have been in developing this initiative,” Belmont noted. “Our lawmakers see what we’re doing at FRC East, and they understand how critical it is to both the economy in eastern North Carolina and to national defense. They’re willing to invest taxpayer dollars in our mission, and our command is ready to prove to them what a good investment that will turn out to be.”
Navy officials announced FRCE’s selection as the designated repair point for the C-130 in March 2023, and the Air Force selected the depot as the HH-60W’s designated repair point in December 2022. Work on the C-130 is scheduled to begin as soon as the end of fiscal year 2026, with the HH-60W workload coming as soon as the start of fiscal year 2027.
The Marine Corps uses the KC-130J Super Hercules for multiple mission types, including refueling, personnel and cargo transport, tactical medical evacuation, imagery reconnaissance and close air support. The HH-60W Jolly Green II is the Air Force’s new combat rescue platform, with a primary mission of conducting personnel recovery operations in hostile environments to ensure rapid retrieval of downed aircrew and other isolated personnel.
FRCE is North Carolina’s largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.