Missoula’s Neptune Aviation has won a federal contract to modify military airplanes for use by the U.S. Forest Service.
Last year’s Defense Authorization Act is sending 15 propeller-driven Sherpa aircraft to the Forest Service to carry smokejumpers and for other missions. Neptune Marketing Manager Kevin Condit says the contract is worth $5 million over five years, and means more work for the Missoula company.
"Not only work for the existing team that we have out here at Neptune, but it looks to me like we’ll hire an additional five mechanics to work with these aircraft."
The competitively bid contract is for Neptune to modify the former military planes to meet civilian airworthiness standards. Condit says he expects two to three of the Sherpa aircraft to enter the Forest Service fleet every year starting in 2016.
