The state of Michigan has approved a Single Business Tax credit valued at more than $648,000 for Smiths Aerospace. The tax break, awarded to Smiths Aerospace in order to persuade them to build a $2.4 million expansion in the greater Grand Rapids area, has been praised locally for its creation of 65 new jobs. On June 13 Smiths announced that they had received $95 million in new contracts for work on two new projects--control systems for the X-47B unmanned combat aircraft and weapons controls for the P-8A Multimission Maritime Aircraft.
Smiths Aerospace is not the only West Michigan providing components for military use. In a January 2005 report titled Aiming to Please, Media Mouse detailed work done by eight companies in the West Michigan area manufacturing weapons systems and components for use by the military, with the majority of the work being performed under contract from the Department of Defense.
