>> IT IS GO TIME FOR THE TRAINER
AIRCRAFT.
THIS WEEK, BOEING ROLLED OUT THE
FIRST TRAINER AIRCRAFT.
SAAB PLANT WILL BE A BIG
CONTRIBUTOR.
MANY HOOSIERS HAVE HAD HANDS IN
DEVELOPING THE MIDDLE SECTION OF
THE PLANE IN WEST LAFAYETTE.
HERE IS MARY RACHEL REDMAN WITH
HER VISIT TO THE PLANT STILL
UNDER CONSTRUCTION ABOUT A YEAR
AGO.
>> FROM --
>> AROUND THE WORLD FLIGHT, A
JOURNEY THAT NO PILOT HAS
ATTENDED.
>> TO.
>> ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN, ONE
GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND.
>> TWO LEGENDS THAT LEFT A MARK
ON PURDUE UNIVERSITY.
YOU CAN ARGUE THEIR LEGACY IN
HELPING TO ATTRACT THE TOP
ENGINEERING AND THERE TO WEST
LAFAYETTE.
>> PURDUE HAS THE TOP
ENGINEERING SCHOOLS IN AEROSPACE
AND ENGINEERING.
>> PERHAPS, IT IS NO SURPRISE
THAT SWEDEN-BASED SAAB DECIDED
TO EXPAND ITS FOOT PRINT ON
PURDUE'S CAMPUS OFFICIALLY
BECOMING AN AMERICAN COMPANY.
>> BY HAVING THE TALENT BASE
READILY ACCESSIBLE TO US, IT
PROMOTES A CULTURE OF GROWTHS
AND INNOVATION AND PRODUCT
DESIGN.
>> THAT PRODUCT IS THE T-7 RED
HAWK, AN ADVANTAGED TRAINER JET
FOR THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
AND THE TRAINER FOR THE MILITARY
BRANCH IN OVER 60 YEARS.
>> THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PROGRAM
FOR UNITED STATES AIR FORCE,
BECAUSE IT IS REPLACING AN AGING
FLEET.
THE T-83 WAS HAS BEEN THE
TRAINER OF CHOICE FOR TENS OF
YEARS SINCE THEN, BUT IT HAS
REACHED ITS END OF LIFE, SO THE
MAINTENANCE COSTS ARE EXTREMELY
HIGH AND IT IS NOT AS RELIABLE.
>> THINGS ARE MOVING RIGHT ALONG
TO START PRODUCTION, INCLUDING
THE COMPLETION OF SAAB'S 100,000
SQUARE FOOT FACILITY.
I SEE THE BLUE LINES ON THE
FLOOR.
IS THAT GOING TO INDICATE WHERE
THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS IS
GOING TO HAPPEN?
>> IT IS.
OUR PORTION IS THE ENTIRE
AIRCRAFT MINUS THE WING, ENGINE,
NOSE CONE AND COCKPIT.
>> IT IS HARD TO IMAGINE RIGHT
NOW.
LITERALLY, IT IS HUGE.
>> IT WILL FILL THE ENTIRE
VOLUME OF THIS FACTORY, CORRECT.
>> SO, THERE WILL BE PEOPLE
WORKING ON IT FROM UP TOP AND
BELOW.
>> AND INSIDE, SO GIVEN THE
AIRCRAFT IS A HOLLOW TUBE, IT IS
TOO BIG TO DO ALL OF THE WORK
FROM THE GROUND, SO WE INSTALLED
A SECOND STORY TO DO WORK SAFELY
FROM ABOVE.
>> WHEN THIS IS FULLY
FUNCTIONAL, HOW MANY FOLKS WILL
BE ON THE FLOOR?
>> WE'LL HAVE 130 EMPLOYEES ON
THE FACTORY SIDE.
>> IT MAY BE THE MOST
TECHNOLOGICAL TRAINER JET EVER
MADE, IT'S NAME IS A NOD TO
HISTORY'S MOST CELEBRATED GROUP
OF PILOTS FROM WORLD WAR II.
>> THE TAIL OF OUR AIRCRAFT IS
PAINTED RED, WHICH IS AN ODE TO
THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN.
>> WE'RE TALKING TO SOMEONE WHO
WILL EMPLOY OUR STUDENT, AND WE
WANT OUR STUDENTS TO HAVE
RELATIVE EXPERIENCES, SO WE'RE
EXCITED TO WORK WITH THEM AS A
PARTNER.
>> IN A PERFECT WORLD, 10 OR 15
YEARS NOW, HOW DO YOU ENVISION
SAAB HERE IN LAFAYETTE?
>> THERE IS GOING TO BE AN
INITIAL AMOUNT OF GROWTH.
WE WILL RECRUIT BEST-IN CLASS
TALENT AND AS WE CONTINUE TO BE
A LEADER IN THE MARKET,
POSSIBILITIES ARE LIMITLESS.
>> CERTAINLY MUCH HAS TRANSPIRED
SINCE THEN AND FOR MORE ON THE
ROLLOUT OF THE T-7A RED HAWK AND
WHAT IT MEANS TO INDIANA AND
INNOVATION TO OUR STATE, I'M
PLEASED TO BE JOINED BY SAA --
SAAB VICE PRESIDENT
AND GENERAL MANAGER ROBERT
ULIBARRI. ROBERT THE LAST TIME I
SAW YOU --
YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE EVENT
AND WHERE THINGS ARE.
>> WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO BE
WRAPPING UP THE PHASE TO BE
SHIPPING OUT OF ST. LOUIS AND
THE PRODUCTION COMING OUT OF
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.
THE T-7 IS YOU DUE TO REPLACE
THE AGING FLEET IN THE AIR FORCE
AND WE'RE EXTREMELY EXCITED.
>> AN IMPORTANT AIRCRAFT TO BE
SURE AND THE TIDE TO TUSKEGEE
AIRMEN OF WORLD WAR II, THOSE
BRAVE WARRIORS AND WHAT THEY
MEANT WITH THE RED TAILS.
TALK ABOUT THAT PIECE OF THIS
STORY.
>> ABSOLUTELY, THE TUSKEGEE
AIRMEN FLYING IN WORLD WAR II,
THE FIGHTERS AND THE BOMBERS
FACED A LOT OF ADVERSITY IN THE
ARMED FORCES.
THEY DISTINGUISHED THEIR
AIRCRAFT BY PAINTING THE TAILS
RED AND WHAT AN HONOR TO PAINT
THE TAILS OF OUR AIRCRAFT RED
AND THE TAIL BLAZING THAT WE
HAVE IMPROVED AS A NATION, AS
WELL AS, TO HONOR THE FIGHTERS
AND THE BOMBERS OF THAT TIME.
>> ROBERT, TALK ABOUT THE WEST
LAFAYETTE FACILITY.
YOU'RE ABOUT READY FOR
PRODUCTION NOW.
WHAT IS GOING TO BE TAKING PLACE
THERE?
HOW SUBSTANTIAL IS IT GOING TO
BE FOR THE WEST LAFAYETTE AREA,
THAT REGION, BUT ALSO THE
INDIANA ECONOMY?
>> ABSOLUTELY, WE'RE GOING TO
SEE OVER $100 MANY INVESTED IN
THIS SITE.
RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE 65 EMPLOYEES
WITH 30-40 JOB POSTINGS.
WE WILL BE OVER 100 EMPLOYEES BY
THE END OF THIS YEAR AND WE WILL
CREATE OVER 100 JOBS WITH THIS
PROGRAM.
THIS IS A PROGRAM FOR THE LONG
TERM.
IT IS A MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR
CONTRACT AND THAT WILL BRING
RESEARCH TO OUR AREA.
>> I MENTIONED THE TUSKEGEE
AIRMEN AND THERE IS A CONNECTION
TO PURDUE UNIVERSITY AND ITS
AEROSPACE AND HISTORY AND
HERITAGE IS AN IMPORTANT PART.
I KNOW THE SAAB STORY IN
LAFAYETTE AND INDIANA.
>> ABSOLUTELY, 50% OF OUR STAFF
IN THE FRONT OFFICE ARE PURDUE
GRADUATES AND 50% IS VETERANS.
IT PROVIDES TALENT AND RESEARCH.
>> ROBERT IS RUNNING THE
FACILITY COMING TO US FROM
ST. LOUIS IN A BIG EVENT FOR THE
NEW TRAINER AIRCRAFT.
ROBERT, APPRECIATE YOU TAKING
THE TIME TO JOIN US AND WE LOOK