CEDAR RAPIDS, IA—BAE Systems is investing more than $100 million to build a state-of-the-art electronics assembly and R&D lab here.

WARTON, UK—BAE Systems will open a new assembly plant at its manufacturing complex here that will apply cobots, virtual and augmented reality, and other advanced technologies to the assembly of military aircraft.

MCKINNEY, TX—Raytheon will build a 200,000-square-foot assembly plant here, supporting 500 new high-tech jobs at its Space and Airborne Systems headquarters. Construction will be completed in late 2020.

Tier 2 suppliers may be less well-known than Tier 1 suppliers and OEMs, but that doesn’t mean their role in the manufacturing chain is any less important.

PALMDALE, CA—The U.S. Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman an $80 billion contract to build the new Long Range Strike Bomber.

PALMDALE, CA—Assemblers at Northrop Grumman Corp.’s plant here recently started to use an optical projection system to build the center fuselage of the F-35 Lighting II fighter jet. The facility was the recipient of ASSEMBLY’s 2013 Assembly Plant of the Year award.

WASHINGTON—The Pentagon has awarded Oshkosh Defense a $30 billion contract to build nearly 55,000 joint light tactical vehicles for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps over the next 25 years.

TROY, AL—Lockheed Martin plans to expand its missile assembly plant here and add 240 employees.