Calhoun County Crane Prep Near the Highland Defense Plants

What gets built at Highland

Lockheed Martin's Precision Fires operation at Highland has produced the multiple launch rocket system since 1978 and now builds HIMARS launchers, GMLRS munitions, THAAD and the Precision Strike Missile. In 2019 the company announced a $142 million investment and 326 more jobs on top of a 650-person workforce. Aerojet Rocketdyne broke ground in 2019 on a solid rocket motor expansion; reports said the plant would handle motors up to 470 inches long. A Lockheed Martin purchase of Aerojet announced in 2020 was called off in February 2022, and L3Harris completed its acquisition of the company in July 2023, so that site now operates under L3Harris. General Dynamics and other defense firms also operate in the park, and Lockheed broke ground on a new Munitions Acceleration Center at Camden in January 2026.

That adds up to years of plant construction: structural steel, precast, process equipment and large mechanical units, set under tight security and strict procedures. We don't speak for any of these employers, and site access rules are theirs to set. What we can do is help you arrive with a solid grasp of load charts, rigging math and signals.

Courses that match the work

• Mobile crane operator for steel erection and equipment setting on plant projects
• Rigger Level 2 for heavy, sensitive or unusually shaped loads
• Signal person for congested sites where the operator cannot see the landing zone
• Articulating crane operator for timber and material-delivery trucks

Woods, river bottoms and summer heat

Away from the industrial park, Calhoun County is mostly pine forest with low ground toward the Ouachita River. Logging roads and soft bottomland limit where a heavy carrier can travel and set up, so plan the route and the outrigger footing before the crane arrives. South Arkansas summers are long and humid, and spring brings severe storms; build stop-work criteria for wind and lightning into the lift plan.

Rules and testing

Arkansas has no state crane license. Federal OSHA covers private employers through the Little Rock Area Office, and for construction 29 CFR 1926.1427 calls for accredited operator certification and an employer evaluation, while 1926.1428 and 1926.1425 require qualified signal persons and riggers. See our requirements guide.

Written exams can be taken by Online Proctored Testing, at a test center or at an event. The practical exam is hands-on at an accredited site arranged through the certifying body. Little Rock is roughly two hours away by road.