Marshall strengthens US credentials and Lockheed wings in for growth talks
Construction of the purpose-built 192,000 sq ft site at Piedmont Triad International Airport is progressing on schedule with fit, recruitment and knowledge transfer set to start ahead of operations beginning in 2025.
Marshall’s leadership articulated how the platform expertise and exacting standards from UK operations will carry over seamlessly into a high-capacity presence within the continental United States (CONUS), supporting the US warfighter by keeping aircraft fleets mission-ready at all times.
During the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), which took place at RAF Fairford in July, Marshall hosted meetings with US armed forces leaders including Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall; Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Andrew Hunter; and Lt. Gen. John P. Healy, chief of the Air Force Reserve and commander of Air Force Reserve Command.
The team fielded questions on a range of topics including construction timeframe, site design, governance, technical capabilities, staffing, training, community engagement and sustainability.
Following a successful audit of Marshall’s United States Marine Corps (USMC) operations earlier this year, Maj. Gen. Gregory Masiello, Director of the U.S. Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), met with Marshall Chief Growth Officer Bob Baxter and the US facility delivery team to better understand how the proven and trusted DCMA-approved procedures rigorously applied in the UK will form the baseline of all MRO operating at the new CONUS facility.
These valuable conversations at RIAT were followed with meetings with Lockheed Martin, Boeing and other commercial partners at the Farnborough International Airshow. Notably, a delegation from Lockheed Martin subsequently visited Marshall’s Cambridge headquarters for a tour of the company’s maintenance hangars and in-house aircraft parts manufacturing facilities.
Discussions continue around advancing the longstanding partnership, ranging in scope from the capabilities of Marshall’s existing Cambridge facilities to potential opportunities for the company’s CONUS operations.
As previously reported, a delegation from North Carolina’s Department of Commerce and economic development partnerships visited Marshall for a tour of its Cambridge HQ, gaining a glimpse of the capabilities, heritage and values soon to be carried to the state.
Bob Baxter said: “Listening to our stakeholders has given us a very clear understanding of the high level of demand and likely requirements around supporting CONUS C-130 fleet availability. “We are focused on ensuring that everything will be in place to enable our new facility to deliver increased availability for US operators from day one.”