Washington – Senator Evan Bayh today praised President Obama’s signing of a defense spending bill that includes full funding for an alternate Joint Strike Fighter aircraft engine made in Indianapolis.

Bayh led the fight on the Senate floor to secure funding for Rolls Royce North America to develop and produce the military fighter engine at its Indianapolis facility. When funding for the program was stripped out of the legislation this summer, Bayh successfully fought to have it reinstated in a joint Senate-House conference committee.

The fiscal year 2010 defense spending bill includes $560 million for Rolls Royce and General Electric to make a competitive engine that will serve as the backbone of the future U.S. tactical air fleet. Today’s bill signing preserves 300 Indianapolis defense manufacturing jobs and could generate up to $1.7 billion in economic development for Indiana over the life of the project, according to Rolls Royce, which currently employs 4,000 Hoosiers.

“We were about to lose 300 good-paying jobs in Indianapolis at a time when the economy is already in terrible shape,” Bayh said. “It was going to cost the taxpayers money and eliminate competition for an important weapons system. So I put my foot down. As a result, we were able to save these jobs, save the taxpayers’ money, and preserve competition. In times like these, I think that’s a pretty good thing.”

Bayh said defense workers at Rolls Royce in Indianapolis play a critical role in ensuring that military engine components are delivered on time and under budget.  Without support for a second engine supplier with the ability to produce a second engine for the F-35 jet, production delays or a failure of the primary engine would have proven catastrophic for the American tactical air fleet.

“Making this critical investment today will result in lower costs, improved performance, increased reliability and greater contractor responsiveness,” Bayh added.

Also included in the FY 2010 National Defense Authorization Act signed today by the President is funding for a broad range of national defense and security programs, including weapons systems, soldiers’ salaries and counterterrorism operations around the world.

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