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STILWELL, OKLAHOMA - Cherokee Nation Industries, Inc. signed a 9-year, $20.5 million with the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) to manufacturer electrical wire harnesses for the Navy's C-2A Greyhound aircraft.

CNI employees are scheduled to manufacture up to four complex wiring harnesses per year for the nine years C-2A Greyhounds will be refurbished by the Navy.

CNI President David Stewart said, "The NAVAIR contract will bring our cable and wire harness division more than $3.7 million in sales in the first year.

Originally manufactured in 1964, the Greyhound twin-engine cargo plane is designed to land on aircraft carriers. It has a delivery payload capacity of up to 10,000 pounds. The aircraft can accommodate cargo, passengers, or both. The C-2A has provided support to carrier battle groups during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, as well as during Kosovo and America's War on Terrorism.

"This is the second large contract in the past four months CNI has signed," Stewart said. In August, CNI signed a $6.5 million agreement with Tulsa-based Westwood/MCII to manufacture control boxes for the Westwood'/MCII's Tactically Quiet Generator … a mobile power generating system for the United States Army. "The 7-year agreement with Westwood has the potential to top $15 million in sales," Stewart said.

"Collectively, the Westwood NMP and NAVAIR contacts will total $7.3 million in sales this fiscal year and nearly $30 million over the life of the contracts," Stewart said. "Strategically, these contracts indicate we are continuing efforts to expand our core existing businesses while diversifying into new, profitable markets to minimize industry-specific vulnerability during economic downturns."

Cherokee Nation Industries, Inc., a tribally owned corporation of the Cherokee Nation headquartered in Stilwell, Oklahoma, is comprised of a distribution, medical services and telecommunications divisions and a cable and wire harness manufacturing facility. CNI was incorporated in 1969 to serve as the economic and workforce development arm for the tribe. The company has 365 employees worldwide and over 30 years contracting and distribution experience in the aerospace, defense and telecommunication industries.