The bill specifically includes $998.688 million to purchase equipment for the U.S. Military that is partially or fully developed by defense contractors located at Highland Industrial Park in East Camden.

“The funds secured Tuesday night will provide job security and economic opportunities to hard working Arkansans who do so much to build the equipment that protects our war fighters,” Ross said.  “I am pleased to have been able to help secure necessary funding for the enhancement of military operations at a time when defense technology is critical to the security of our nation and keeping our men and women in uniform safe.”    

The following projects were included in the FY 2007 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill and will benefit Highland Industrial Park:

• $57.5 million - High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).
  HIMARS is a C-130 transportable, wheeled, all weather, day/night, indirect fire, rocket and missile system  HIMARS supports light, airborne, air assault divisions and early entry contingency force operations using a more deployable, lethal, survivable and tactically mobile long-range system. HIMARS are produced by government contractors at Highland Industrial Park in East Camden. 

• $46.4 million - Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) P31 Data Link Integration.
  The United States Navy, along with the navies of nine other NATO nations, will employ ESSM to defend against low-flying, fast and maneuvering threats to ships.  ESSM are produced by government contractors at Highland Industrial Park in East Camden.

• $210.9 million - Rocket, HYDRA 70-70MM-Army, Navy, and Air Force.
  The system is an effective area suppression weapon which has seen use most recently in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom.  HYDRA rockets are produced by government contractors at Highland Industrial Park in East Camden.

• $439.1 million – Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3), Missile Procurement, Army.  PAC-3 is an advanced surface to air guided missile system with a high single shot kill probability capable of operation in the presence of electronic countermeasures and able to conduct multiple simultaneous engagements against high performance air breathing missiles.  Patriot Missiles are produced by government contractors at Highland Industrial Park in East Camden.

• $187.244 million – STANDARD Missile Insensitive Munitions Improvements.

This funding will be used for research and development in the field of Insensitive Munitions performance.  This is the ability of the weapons system to react to an unplanned stimuli such as shipboard fire or damage from projectiles or small caliber ammunition hazards.  This research will be conducted at Highland Industrial Park in East Camden.

• $57.544 million - STANDARD Missile Rocket Motor Regrain.

The Navy’s ongoing proactive Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) provides a cost effective method of providing the fleet with the latest missile technology.  As part of SLEP, a rocket motor regrain process was qualified which re-uses the major subcomponents thereby providing a new rocket motor at approximately 50% the cost and in half the time.  This regraining process takes place at Highland Industrial Park in East Camden.

Upon the Senate’s passage of the Department of Defense Appropriations bill, both the House and Senate bills will then go to Conference Committee to negotiate the differences between the two pieces of legislation.  Once the final Conference Committee bill is passed, the President must sign the bill before it becomes law.

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