Governor M. Jodi Rell today celebrated the groundbreaking for an $8.3 million, federally funded military jet engine repair facility at the Bradley Air National Guard Base in East Granby. The Centralized Intermediate Repair Facility (CIRF) will handle tests and troubleshooting for jet engines from A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft from all over the world. The A-10 – an extremely durable twin-engine, straight-wing jet mounting a rapid-fire gun – has seen action in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The A-10’s official name is the Thunderbolt – but we all know it as the Warthog,” Governor Rell said. “That’s an affectionate nickname – although our opponents around the world have come to know and fear the A-10 for very good reasons. It is one of the most rugged and most effective ground-attack aircraft in the history of aviation. And here in Connecticut we will ‘keep ’em flying.’
“This groundbreaking provides concrete evidence of our commitment to the men and women of Connecticut’s Air National Guard,” the Governor said. “Details of the mission may change from time to time – but that commitment never falters. In fact, there are tens of millions of dollars of federal construction projects in the pipeline for the Bradley Air National Guard Base. Some are related to the Base Realignment and Closure process of 2005, some are maintenance and repair projects and others are ‘MILCON’ – military construction. But the bottom line is clear: Our commitment to our National Guard is firm.”
The project will improve and expand an existing TF-34 engine repair facility in East Granby as part of decisions made under the 2005 BRAC process.
The CIRF will be a 36,000-square-foot facility. The new CIRF mission requires a second test location, so a T-9 Engine Test Cell is being relocated from another Air National Guard unit and will be installed on the new foundation being constructed at Bradley and expected to be completed the middle of this year. This facility will bolster the unit’s current capability to test and troubleshoot engines sent in by operational A-10 squadrons from around the globe and will provide state-of-the-art facilities for the 103rd Airlift Wing’s maintenance personnel.
