Courtesy Jackson County Economic Development Foundation The 110-000-square-foot Northrop Grumman Unmanned Systems Center is located next to the Trent Lott International Airport in Moss Point.
Courtesy Jackson County Economic Development Foundation An aerial shot of the Trent Lott International Airport shows the Northrop Grumman Unmanned Systems Center next door.
MOSS POINT — A taxiway linking the Northrop Grumman Unmanned Systems Center to the Trent Lott International Airport should be fully operational soon.
The taxiway, which allows for runway access, is finished and only an issue with lighting is keeping the project from being complete, said Carol Snapp, the airport’s executive director.
The MQ-8B Fire Scout is a vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aerial vehicle assembled at the 110,000-square-foot aerospace facility on Mississippi 63.
Without the taxiway, NGUSC workers loaded the Fire Scout on flatbed trucks and circled around to the airport by way of Saracennia Road.
“For being so close, they were cut off from the airport,” she said.
The Fire Scout, which resembles a helicopter, is used for reconnaissance mission by NATO, Air Force, Navy and Germany, Snapp said.
Jackson County Economic Development Director George Freeland said the addition of the taxiway allows Northrop Grumman to complete more of the Fire Scout testing in Moss Point. This could create at least 16 more jobs at the center, Freeland said.
Having the 419-foot taxiway improves Northrop Grumman’s efficiency and the competitiveness of the facility, which also manufactures fuselages for the Global Hawk, a high-altitude unmanned reconnaissance plane.
Freeland said the taxiway was built using a Community Development Block Grant.
Freeland said the airport upgrade allows customers to see what the aerospace division offers in Moss Point.
“Six short years ago, Jackson County didn’t play any role in aerospace engineering,” Freeland said. “Now we’re building, testing cutting-edge aircraft.”
The Navy last month awarded Northrop Grumman a $5 million contractor logistics support contract for Fire Scout. The contract, which includes an option for three additional years, is the first step to a long-term maintenance program at the center, he said.
