Lockheed Martin plans to build a new facility in HRM, creating 100 jobs.
The province is encouraging the expansion with a payroll rebate of up to $1.8 million to the manufacturer through Nova Scotia Business Inc.
Lockheed Martin will build a software development facility in Highfield Park. The building will also house a technology collaboration centre.
“We could have built our land-based test facility anywhere in Canada,” said Thomas Digan, president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Canada.
“(Because of) the nearness to the Canadian navy, the incentives, and the ability to hire a young, talented workforce, Nova Scotia was where we decided to go.”
The company will be working out a contract from the Canadian government, signed in November, to upgrade Canadian naval command and control systems on Halifax-class frigates.
The contract would more than double the roughly 80 employees Lockheed Martin currently has working in Halifax.
Digan said the rebate helped his company choose Halifax over other areas that were vying for the jobs. Premier Rodney MacDonald was on hand at the announcement to offer his congratulations.
“Investments like the one we’re making today tell the world that Nova Scotia is the right place for companies across all sectors to achieve long-term success,” MacDonald said.
