Conrad, Montana area firm, International Truck Body hooks up with Air Force

Air Force personnel officially saluted the work of a Conrad-area manufacturing business this month and approved an airplane-towing prototype.

Now International Truck Body http://www.itbusa.com/ is good to go and will begin building 243 of the units on order, the first batch for a $29 million, five-year contract.

"They said (our work) was outstanding, but the process of getting ready for the inspection was nerve wracking," said Rob Cook, the company’s operation manager. "You don’t want somebody to come and tell you that your baby is ugly."

That "baby" is a modified F-130 pick-up truck outfitted with a telescoping, rotating center hitch.

Called flight-line tractors, the units are used to move military aircraft, including loaded F-15s, on the tarmac.

By JO DEE BLACK
Tribune Staff Writer

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