L3 Doss Aviation will be adding 60 additional employees to its Initial Flight Training program at Pueblo Memorial Airport as part of a $2.9 million contribution from the city of Pueblo. This brings the total number of employees at L3 Doss Aviation to 192.

The expansion agreement was announced Tuesday and follows the Air Force’s decision last January to give L3 Doss a 10-year extension on its military flight training program.

Paul Walker, flight training program manager, said the city’s support, through the Pueblo Economic Development Corp., was a key part of L3 Doss’s proposal to win the contract renewal last year.

“We’ve relied on our great relationship with Pueblo for the past decade,” he said at the job announcement Tuesday.

Walker said the $2.9 million is part of a $7 million capital improvement plan at the flight-training facility. A new observation tower is being built, additional security is being added and all the training planes are getting improved avionics.

The 10-year Air Force training contract is valued at roughly $290 million. The facility is the doorway to Air Force aviation, giving all pilots, navigators and remotely controlled vehicle pilots their initial training before they move on to more advanced schools.