Wagons East

Boeing announced this afternoon that it is moving its C-130 Avionics Modernization Program and B-1B bomber program from Long Beach, CA, to Oklahoma City, according to company officials.

About 550 of the approximately 800 positions in California will relocate to Oklahoma, according to a Boeing statement. "The remaining positions will be reduced from the programs over the next two years as contracts are fulfilled," the statement reads.

Boeing Vice President and General Manager of Maintenance, Modifications & Upgrades Mark Bass said relocating the programs will help the company "provide a more competitive cost structure for customers."

"Making a decision like this is never easy, but as we reviewed our anticipated operating costs for the next several years, it became clear that Boeing needs to take major actions on these programs in order to remain affordable for our customers," Bass said in the statement. "We remain committed to maintaining the excellent record of performance that our employees deliver for our U.S. Air Force B-1 and C-130 AMP customers during this transition."

Boeing is building a new avionics kit for legacy C-130H aircraft and is the B-1B prime contractor.