Nearby Moore County has landed a company expected to bring about 75 new jobs to the area.

BRS Defense will probably look to start hiring later this month, said Gary D. Moore of BRS Aerospace. The Minnesota-based company owns BRS Defense, which is based in Pinebluff.

About 50 of the new workers will sew. Another 10 to 15 will be quality-control inspectors, and the rest will be mechanics and other workers, Moore told the Fayetteville Observer.

He said he didn't know what the average hourly wage would be. Production will likely begin in October or November.

"With the economy like it is, it's good to hear some positive news, that somebody's hiring instead of laying off," said Melanie Thompson of Moore County Partners in Progress, the county's economic development group.

The new hires are needed so BRS can manufacture more than 3,500 high- and low-velocity cargo parachutes for the Army over the next two years. The contracts might be extended three years beyond that, Moore said.

The woven propylene parachutes will be used to get supplies to troops in areas that aren't hospitable to ground-based supply operations. The high-velocity parachutes are dropped from 15,000 to 25,000 feet. The low-velocity parachutes are dropped from 500 to 1,200 feet above ground.

BRS operates out of the former Ellery Homestyles plant on U.S. 1, south of Pinebluff. It bought the building in late 2007 and had 25 to 30 employees at one point. But many were let go after a short-term contract ended. Eleven people work there now, Moore said.

He said the company has bids out on a number of other contracts.

"This is kind of a first filling of the pipeline," he said.

Based in South Saint Paul, Minn., BRS Aerospace has three divisions: BRS Aviation, which designs, manufactures and distributes aircraft emergency parachute systems; BRS Defense, which designs and builds parachute systems for the military; and BRS Safety, which produces reflective and load-bearing vests and other apparel.