Lockheed plans to cut 90 jobs at Orlando missiles unit

In its first layoffs in a decade, Lockheed Martin Corp.’s Orlando missiles unit said Wednesday it plans to shed 90 jobs in a belt-tightening move that comes amid the Pentagon’s stepped-up pressure on defense contractors to cut costs.

Lockheed said the job cuts affect defense-technology engineers in Orlando and at other sites across the country where it supports military customers. Workers who are losing their jobs are being told this week.

The layoffs constitute about 2 percent of Lockheed Missiles & Fire Control’s local work force of nearly 4,000. It follows previous layoffs at Lockheed’s other Central Florida operations during the past year or so that cost nearly 100 jobs in training simulation and information technology.

Overall, the nation’s largest defense contractor employs more than 7,000 people in Central Florida and another 3,000 statewide, including operations in Cape Canaveral, Lakeland, West Palm Beach and the Panhandle.

From: Orlando Sentinel