Hunt Valley Defense Contractor Lays Off 184 Employees

AAI Textron Systems is laying off 184 employees from its Hunt Valley headquarters Tuesday in light of cutbacks in defense spending from the federal government. 

The contractor, which , is eliminating positions across the board, including office staff and management, said company spokeswoman Sharon Corona. The terminated employees will receive severance packages and can opt to take advantage of outplacement services.

"Like other businesses, we're trying to make decisions to be as cost competitive as possible," Corona said.

In October, that they'd be hiring for 148 positions globally, which included 81 at the company's headquarters. Corona said there are now 20 openings at the Hunt Valley location, and an additional 108 for field employees, primarily in engineering.

Prior to the layoffs, the defense contractor employed more than 2,500 workers.

Baltimore Business Journal and Baltimore Magazine both named AAI as one the in the metro area in 2011.