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By M. PAUL JACKSON and PAMELA C. TURFA pamt@leader.net
Thursday, March 20, 2003 Page:
A war against Iraq has businesses that manufacture military items
increasing production.
The war has others keeping a watch on the war’s effects on the economy and
on their staffs.
At the Lockheed Martin facility in Archbald, production of laser-guided
bomb systems is continuing, said spokeswoman Ellen Mitchell.
Last month, the Pentagon announced Lockheed Martin would share in an Air
Force contract to produce Paveway II laser-guided bomb kits. The kits also are
being produced at a Raytheon Co. facility in Tucson, Ariz.
Laser-guided bomb kits are expected to be a key weapon in the war against
Iraq.
The kits allow bombs dropped from U.S. warplanes to be guided to their
targets by a laser – either one aimed by the plane’s pilot or one aimed by a
ground spotter.
About 7,000 kits will be produced in Archbald this year. “This is a
product that was used liberally in Afghanistan,” Mitchell said. “We are
happy to meet the requirement for whatever happens.”
The Chamberlain Manufacturing Corp., based in Scranton, also makes
ammunition and mortar rounds. The Scranton Army Ammunitions plant is a
government-owned facility run by Chamberlain.
In February, the Army modified its $22.3 million contract with Chamberlain
to purchase 155-millimeter artillery shell casings.
And, the Gentex Corp. in Carbondale makes helmet systems for the military.
Neither Chamberlain nor Gentex officials were available for comment.
The war is not expected to directly affect the Fairchild Semiconductor
manufacturing facility in Wright Township. But, a conflict halfway around the
globe could affect Fairchild’s profitability.
Officials are watchful of a potential economic impact, spokesman Roger
Bishop said.
The economic impact could come “in the form of additional fuel costs,
which then increase utility costs, which then in turn increase our operating
costs,” Bishop said.
“I think the economists are saying it could be quite significant.”
The semiconductor industry is in a recessionary period, and “any
additional costs certainly would have implications for us.”
Area hospitals also are bracing for an effect on their medical staffs as
physicians and other health-care workers are called to active duty.
Three Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center workers – including a family
practice physician and two technicians – are military reservists and could
potentially be called up, spokesman Mark Davis said.
The Plains Township facility is part of the Geisinger Health System,
headquartered in Danville. About 30 of the system’s 8,500 employees are
reservists, Davis said.
“We’ll have to just cover with other people,” Davis said. “So far, the
impact has not been strong.”
Dr. Juan DeRojas, a vascular surgeon at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital and
an Army reservist, has been called to active duty, hospital officials said.
And, a certified registered nurse anesthetist at Mercy Hospital in
Wilkes-Barre has also been called into active duty, Mercy officials said. The
hospital could not immediately identify the worker.