BAE Systems has won a contract worth up to $89 million to make emergency escape windows for a military version of the Humvee, but a company spokeswoman said Monday that it won't affect the 314 employees who were laid off in Fridley a week ago.
"Work on the windows has already begun," said BAE spokeswoman Kelly Golden. "The first major deliveries are expected to be made at the end of September."
BAE cut its Minnesota-based workforce by about one-fourth after it lost contracts to make next-generation combat equipment for the U.S. Army under its Future Combat Systems (FCS) program.
Golden said that when BAE's management was deciding how many people to lay off as a result of the lost FCS work, it factored in the work requirements for producing the emergency escape windows.
This latest military work "is basically going to help sustain jobs at the BAE facility" in Fridley, Golden said.
AM General, based in Indiana, makes the military version of the Humvee used by the Army.
BAE said that the windows allow soldiers to exit a vehicle quickly by pushing out the front window in an emergency, such as an accident or rollover.
Ibis Tek, a Pennsylvania-based company, is working with BAE Systems as a subcontractor and will be the primary manufacturer, Golden said.
